In his sermon 'A Love Song to the Word of the Lord,' John Pruitt emphasizes the significance and purity of the Word of God, as illustrated in Psalm 119. He critiques the modern world's dismissive attitude towards the Bible, highlighting how both secular authorities and some believers prioritize other matters over God's work. Pruitt argues that the Bible is not a mere collection of myths but is divinely inspired, pure, and unchangeable. He warns against altering its message and stresses that the Bible is the ultimate guide to living a holy life. The sermon underscores that God's Word is eternal, with its principles remaining constant throughout time, offering guidance and insight beyond what human wisdom can provide. Pruitt compares the Bible's worth to material wealth, urging the congregation to meditate on and cherish the scriptures more than earthly riches. He concludes by urging believers to integrate the Bible into their lives as their primary source of spiritual nourishment and guidance.

You know the world doesn't care about the work of God. Amen. That's right brother. Really a gelling contempt. The federal government doesn't care.

Federal government doesn't care. It's shameful. Some of God's people don't care, even. People. God's people don't care either.

The majority of American people say they're Christian, but very few in comparison are faithful church members. Many have a form of godliness, but deny the power of their own. If what I say is not true, this building would not be big enough for the Wednesday night service, much less the Bible's office. If what I'm not saying is true, the majority of the membership of the church, or all the membership of the church, would be there every time. You know, most absenteeism is due to not circumstances beyond our control, but circumstances within our control.

But what is the root cause? It's a careless attitude toward God's work. Folks will let anything and everything take priority over God. And it has to do with our attitude toward the Word of God. So we're going to examine some things here.

What is the Word of God and what Should it be to each one of God's children? Yes. Brother Doug has asked me to bring a couple of thoughts. One, what should we believe about the Word of God. And first of all, of course, it is precisely the Word of God.

It is the Word of God. All through the 119th Psalm it is called the Word of God. It's called the law and the word and the statutes and the judgments and the commandments and the precepts, and the ways of God. In the Bible is not just some random collection of writings As our modern philosophers would have us, and not modern necessarily, but ancient philosophers will believe this, a collection of writings put together by some monks or some priests is not simply myths and fairy tales we've been studying the book of first Samuel I'll tell you There's not a book in the library that can compare with the suspense and the excitement and the intrigue and all the things that are in that book for Sam. Pastor here a few weeks ago, I read this actually, went to a Costco in Semivalley, California and was browsing through the book section there and he found the inspiration section and the biography and all this and all the Bibles, all the Bibles were stamped individually, fiction.

And that's what the world thinks about God's Word. There are plenty of atheists who have foolishly attempted to disprove God's Word And that's foolish. That's really dumb. But they are always proved fools. Just like David said in the 53rd verse 1, the fool, the fool that is set in his heart, there is no God.

I don't believe that there is any such thing as a natural born atheist. Atheism isn't theology. It's a religion. And you develop it. We have a God consciousness in us.

And he says, corrupt are they, and have done a bondable iniquity. There's none that doeth good. But the Bible is pure. The Bible is pure. It's inherent.

It's inspired by God. And there's no need for us to try to prove it. That would be futile. We are not worthy of trying to prove God's Word. It doesn't need proof.

It is what it is. There are many who try to disprove it, who have failed every one, so there's no need for us to try to prove it. Not only is the Word of God precisely the Word of God, it is the purer of God. It's everything that God intended for us to have. And it's all from Him.

Psalms 1, 19, 37 says, Righteous are thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. Anything added to it or taken away from it will contaminate it. And the market is full of contaminated Bibles today. The pulpits are full of contaminated messages today because people are trying to add to, take away, or embellish on what God said. Amen.

Good. You can take a single drop of some substance and put it into a pure gallon of water, and you've contaminated that. Personally, I don't believe there's any such thing now as pure water, no matter what they advertise to sell for you to drink. It was pure until Adam sinned. God brought a curse upon the earth.

But the word of God is pure and it's the only thing that's pure. Psalms 119, 138. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful. Not only is the Bible completely accurate and factual, but it is pure and holy. It is pure and holy in its content and it is produced by a pure and holy God.

If you will find nothing in the Bible, you will never find anything in the Bible which leads man into sin. You'll never find, and what is the objection? What is the objection of people with the Bible? They stand and they criticize and they and they try to file lawsuits if someone utters some kind of a saying out of the Bible. Oh it's offensive, it's offensive.

What is offensive about the Word of God? It's never led anyone into sin or immorality or to commit any kind of crime. It's pure and holy. You'll find nothing there that is impure. And it leads men and women to holiness.

It is the It is the only pure water of life. And then it is not only is it pure, it is purifying. It purifies the soul. It will clean the sinner as well as the saint. Psalms 1.19.9, he says, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word." And 1 19 11 says, Thy word have I hid in my heart.

Why? That I might not sin against thee. The word of God is purifying. And if we'll stay in the word of God, we'll stay closer to God and more pure. By following the word of God, people can live clean and peacefully among each other.

By believing the gospel which is contained in the word of God, People can obtain righteousness and eternal life. What's wrong with that? What is the objection to that? John 3.15, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. But have everlasting life.

1 John 5, 12, He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life. And then 5, 24, John, I say unto you, Jesus said, He that heareth my word, what a glorious message from God's word. He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life. Then, continue on as quickly as I can, it is the permanent word. Did you know that the Word of God didn't just start with the King James Bible?

No. It didn't start with that. The Word of God has always been. You know people, children playing games, they invent games, they invent rules for those games and that's a fun thing, there's nothing wrong with that at all, and parents you know, run parents they're trying to make up the rules of parenting as they go. Sometimes that's what parenting is all about, learning as you go.

But you know God's Word has always been and always will be. The rules have always been the same, there's nothing changed. God does not make up rules as he goes, because he doesn't go along. He doesn't go, God is eternal. He's always been, And His Word has always been.

And so He doesn't make up anything. It's already been developed. And then, Psalms 1, 1989, the psalmist says, forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Jesus said, I echo the same message in Mark and Matthew, Mark 13, 31, heaven and earth shall pass away. My words shall never pass away, shall not pass away.

Very terminal, they can't pass away. Psalms 119, 152, concerning thy testimonies, I have known of all that thou hast founded them forever." His Word is a permanent Word, and it's perfect. It's perfect. Now, the Bible is the basis of every holy thought and every holy act of man. If man does right it's because he has done it according to God's word.

Because that's the only direction of holiness there is. Man cannot develop anything out of his own heart, his own mind that's holy or righteous. It has to come from God. Because we're depraved and totally to break In Psalms one 1972 says the law of my mouth is better under me Than thousands of gold and silver You think they'd love the work God How about you yeah, Does it mean the same to you? Does the word of God mean to you that more than gold and silver, thousands of gold and silver, would you rather have the word of God or win the lottery for a hundred million dollars?

Would you trade this for that? Unfortunately some would. 119, 105, thy word is a lamp under my feet and a light under my back. You know what a lamp does? A lamp shows you where you are.

It's a lamp under my feet. It shows me exactly where I am. So that I don't stumble. So that I don't go astray. And it's also a light under my pain.

It shows me where I'm going. So now, with the Word of God, the Holy Word of God, God's law that God leads to holiness, it always shows me where I am. Sometimes it's not a pleasant thing, isn't it? Sometimes we don't like to be told where we are. But this is the only book that will.

It will tell you the truth. It's a lamp to our feet and it shows us where to go and where we're going. Romans 1, 1995 says, I have more understanding than all my teachers. Why? Why would David say such a thing?

I have more understanding than all my teachers for that testimonies are my meditation. You know the world will teach you, you know you can Google about anything the mind can imagine someone has an answer for. And you know it's true because it's on the internet. There's always an answer. There's always someone out there to teach something.

Beloved, if you have this book, if you have this book in your heart, you're better than all those teachers. Because it's God's law. It's God's word. It's His testimonies. Let us meditate on this.

I'm afraid some of us spend too much time meditating on the internet, Facebook, Twitter, and all these things rather than to meditate on God's Word. It is my meditation, he says, my reflection, my prayer, my devotion. You know why David loved the law so much? Because he loved the law giver. That's right.

He loved his God. Therefore he loved his word. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. You know children, God can have their souls converted too. Most of us need it.

Converting the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. That's Psalms 19 verse 7. And then it is the power, the word of God is, or rather the Bible is the power of the word of God. Man is on a quest to disprove God's work. You know that's what the space program is really all about.

That's why we're going to all these places to try to find out the origin. How many hundreds of billions, probably trillions of dollars that were spent on the space program and I went to the bookstore and paid $14.99 for the first Bible I bought and it was right there. And it answered me there. I know it's the answer because it's got the Word. It's true.

The Word of God is powerful because it is relevant. It is relevant to us. Paul said in Hebrews 4, the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. The word of God doesn't ever become outdated, as many writings have, men have written books, religious books. They made certain predictions and certain things that would take place and now those books are obsolete because what they predicted didn't take place.

And everything that God has said so far has taken place so there's no reason to believe that what he says about the future won't take place. Amen. So it's quick and it's powerful. Not only that, the Word of God is powerful because it is a real document. It's certified.

It's real. It pierces even the dividing and the center of soul and spirit. Is real it appears as even the dividing of the sun there are some of the spirit were god makes you you you look into the word god you'll find that it makes you face reality. And it is because it's a real book. And then the Word of God is powerful because it is a revealing document.

It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. You know people might say, now I know what you're thinking. No you don't. God does. God does what you're thinking.

Not only that, but He is able to discern your thoughts. He's able to speak to you and say, I know what you're thinking and this is what it is. And you say, oh, you're right, It is. Isaiah 55 verse 10, For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, it shall not return unto me void. It shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I send it." Well, these are things that we should think about the Word of God too.

We should believe these things. And it's powerful to say, And I must move along quickly here. The entrance, verse 119, 130, the entrance of God's word, giveth light and giveth understanding unto the simple. Romans 1, 16, the apostle Paul said, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ where he is the power the power of God Everyone that believeth to you first and also to agree Number of other scriptures on this call them out if you want to write them down, James 1.18, 1 Peter 1.23, 1 John 5.11, 1 John 5.20. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given unto us understanding, and that's by the Word, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ, this is the true God in eternal life.

So right quickly how should we feel about the word? That's what we ought to believe about it. This is what we ought to feel about it. It's precious. Amen.

Oh God's word is precious. Is it precious to you? The question is this, is it precious to you and how precious is it to you? David said it's more precious David said it's more precious than thousands of silver and gold. As I said, the world cares nothing for the word of God.

At one time it meant nothing to me. It was the time of my life I didn't care either. I cared less One way or the other. It's held in contempt because it condemns. Many have killed to stop the propagation and the promulgation of the word of God.

Murdered to stop it. And they'd do it today if they could get by. Many have died protecting it. This book that sometimes we handle and use so flippantly. We have brothers and sisters who write for this book.

Gave their lives for it. We should share the sentiments of David in Psalms 119 verse 71, the law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of golden silver. To most, the word God means nothing. To some, it means a little, but not much. To many, it means a lot, but not everything.

It doesn't mean you. Those who know its value and depend on it and live by it and Trust in it for their God and on a daily basis it means everything. It's our life, blood. It is our very nourishment, our very survival. The degree of your love for the word of God will determine your degree of your love, first of all for God's people.

It will determine your love for the cause of God. It will determine your love for the cause of God. It will determine your love for the gospel. You know, it's easy to forget. Away from this book, it's easy to forget.

Father Brother Doug really pierced our hearts. It's easy to forget. When you forget, you lose that sensitivity. And you lose your love for the son of God. Now every child of God loves God.

That's a fact. If you don't love the Lord, you're not saved. That's just a state. But that's not the question I'm asking. The question is how much.

What's the degree? Because every one of us in this room do not love the Lord the same. Unfortunately, but that's true. Psalm 119, 127. Therefore, David says, I love thy commandments above goal, yea, above fine goal.

Yay, the fine gold. Then finally, right quickly, about a couple of minutes here. It's our primary sustenance. Primary. I appreciate what brother Doug said about the pizza.

You know, the pizza was secondary. We were about to feast on the grandest banquet that there was. And we did! We simply cannot live without that sweet, filling, nourishing support of God's Word. David said, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

Then he said in 1975, I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hath afflicted me. We need that word of God because it is a chastening rod sometimes but Jesus said to Satan and he quoted Deuteronomy chapter 3 or chapter 8 I believe. I won't take the time to read that. But Jesus said this in Matthew 4, Matthew 4 and verse 4, but he answered and said, it is written, Satan, by the way you can say this too. Yeah, you can tell the devil the same thing.

True. And he says, It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Without the convicting power of the word of God, even the people of God would go astray. Some do, and the reason they do is because they go astray from the book. So God, they go astray, even the people of God, and even become calloused by sin, those who neglect it.

That's what takes place. I'll close with this. Psalms 1, 1, very first Psalm, very first verse of the first song. David opens this whole book of songs by singing this glorious song. Blessed is the man that walketh not after the counsel of the ungodly.

Nor standeth in the way of the sinner, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law let him meditate. And as a result of that, he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, bring forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, whatsoever he doth shall prosper. Thank you, McDonnell.

Thank you, McDonald's.