I can't tell you what a blessing it is to be able to have a brother you can call on to fill the pulpit when you need. He's pretty close by, not very far away. I had him set on ready when all this stuff looked like was going to happen. I said, I don't know when it's going to happen, but I need you to be ready for me. Of course, he has been. When he preached last week for me, I appreciated that very much. I haven't had a chance to listen to the sermons yet or even get them duplicated. I'm a little behind on getting things done, as you might imagine. I got back in town yesterday afternoon and have been playing catch-up ever since. We were going day and night while we were there in Brunswick with her dad being sick and needing round-the-clock care as he passed on to the glory. We appreciate all the prayers that were offered. But I've asked Ronnie to come back and preach for me again. I told him, I said, you know, I'm going to be there. I'll try to be the Lord willing, but I'm not going to be in any shape to preach. And so I understand he's going to be bringing a message that I think is shared Wednesday night, the one he's going to bring. And I've heard about it, and my mom's told me about it, and I think you'll enjoy it this morning. Ronnie, you come preach for us. Well, again, as always, it's always good to be able to come and share the precious Word of God. How many of you love the Word of God? It's important, isn't it? As a matter of fact, turn to Psalm 119. Take your Bibles and turn to Psalm 119. God's Word is very precious. We've got a book that we can keep at hand. In Psalm 119, of course, I told them Wednesday night that I entitled this message, Life is Like a Box of Chocolates. But in reality, the Word of Life is like a box of chocolates. The precious Word. In Psalm 119 and 103, it says, How sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. I mean, those are some great words. The psalmist is describing, the only thing he's got at hand to describe is the word honey. that He can tell us and show us what God's Word means to Him. Of course, Matthew chapter 4 and verse 4 says, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Wouldn't you agree with that? And turn over to John chapter 1. John chapter 1. And let's look at verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. I don't think none of us can deny that. And the same was at the beginning with God, and all things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Thank God that He is the light of the world. I mean, John just continues to go on and lay it out, but there's no doubt that Jesus Christ was the living Word But thank God He gave us the Word of God that we can love, that we can handle, we can hold to. Amen? David said, the Word of God is so precious that it is sweeter than anything I could even begin to imagine to describe to you. He took that Word and he loved it. Let me ask you, how many really love the Word of God? And I got to thinking about it. Of course, Forrest Gump made that statement years ago in the movie. Life is just like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get until you bite in. And I really thought about that. And you know, God's Word is like that box of chocolates. I mean, let's face it, some of you didn't think I was going to bring the real thing, did you? I mean, it's real. Smell that. Boy, I'm telling you what, I'll get you ready for lunch now, see. You know, you've got a lot of different chocolate eaters. out here. You know, you got those that will never open the box. They just let a box of chocolates just lie around, just lay there. They're scared to death to open the box. And then you got those that are just picky. How many are picky eaters? I've got some of my family that are picky eaters, and I've got some that eat anything. That grandson of mine, you put it in front of him, he's going to eat it. The granddaughter is a whole different thing. Those that are picky, those that just can't make up their mind, they're scared to death they might bite into something that they don't like. Then you've got those that they pretend to take a bite, but they really don't. They just want to be noticed. They'll acknowledge, oh yeah, that's some good candy over there. And then you've got those that they just Never like anything. Man, they'll take a bite and they'll gripe the whole time that they begin to eat. I mean, there ain't nothing in that box that's good. Nothing at all. They just eat and eat, but they'll gripe about it all. And then you got that man or woman or boy or girl, they just jump in there, they dig in, they take the bad with the good and they eat the whole box. Amen? I don't know which one you fall in today. You know where you're at. But you know what? I'd like for us to think about God's Word as if it was this box of candy. The Bible, the Word, the Living Word that we have with us, It's like that box of chocolates that Forrest Gump was talking about. You never know what you'll get in. You know, as he began to talk there in Psalm 119 and verse 103, he said, How sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than the honey to my mouth. The honey would be the closest thing that he could taste. However, like this box of chocolates, God's Word contains both sweetness and bitterness. Now, I've done it in other messages. And you know, of course you've got to look in the lid to figure out what's in it. But sometimes it's a guessing game as to what you're going to get. It's picking and choosing. You never know what you're going to get out. But thank God when I open the precious Word of God, the one thing I know that I can get is the thing of salvation. God's Word, when you open it, you can receive or you can find in it salvation. That is one of the greatest things that really comes to mankind. What's in the box? First of all, what's in God's Word is that of the love of God. Amen. The love of God. When I open God's Word from cover to cover, I experience God's love. The word love is an action word. I like that. God did something because of His love for you and me. In Ephesians 2, verses 4 and 5, it says, God who is rich in His mercy for His great love wherein He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath He quickened us together by grace. Thank God we're saved. It's because of God's love. I John 3, verse 1, Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." God's love is a strong and a powerful love. It's not something that's weak and can easily be destroyed. The love of God is an everlasting love that will make any sacrifice for us. In Jeremiah 31 verse 3, it says, The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Fifty years. I've got thirty-seven, but fifty. I mean, you know, marriages, and you know what? There are difficulties in those 50 years, aren't there? Huh? You laugh, you know, you lived it. I can tell you in 37, we had difficulties. There's times where she felt like shooting me. There were times I could have killed her. Never thought of divorce, though. No. But thank God it's an everlasting love. You know what? Every day we tell each other we love. Probably five, six times a day we'll say, love you. You know? And the other day she said that and I was sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast and I said, yes, sometimes. She says, no all the time. Huh? And that's the way it is with God. God, listen, He loves us even when we weren't lovable. And I know there are times I'm not lovable. Huh? All of you, you've been there, you know. Thank God His love is a strong and a powerful love. I like Romans 8, verse 35, where it says, Who shall separate us from the love of God? Nothing can. Nothing can separate us from that love. It doesn't matter what you find, nothing can do that. The love of God is a proven love. It's not just merely deceiving words proved by the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. In 1 John chapter 4 and verse 9 it says, And this was manifested, the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Let me tell you something. You can be certain of this. God loves you because of what He did. Let me ask you, who's the last time in the world died for you to save you? It's a proven love. It's hard for me to imagine what God did for me because of who I was and what I was. It doesn't matter. You know, we look around and thank God, you know, He doesn't look at us as individuals. We're all sinners. Some could be worse. Some could be less. There might be degrees in your book. But God's Word says we're all just as guilty. We're all equal when it comes to that. But God loved us because we were His creation. And He knew we were going to mess up before we were ever born, before mankind was ever made. And the Bible says even before man was made that they had already decided what had to be done in heaven. And God proved it when He sent His Son, and His Son died on that tree. A proven love. Thank God we have a proven love for Him. See, that's what God's Word, it teaches you that. It shows you that. Not only that, that God's love is patient. How many of you have patience today? Are you a patient person? Some days not so easy as others. But thank God He is patient. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come unto repentance. I said this many times, if I had been God, I probably would have wiped out a lot of people. Huh? Don't sit there so pious. You know it's true. You would have too. Just like, just like stepping in an anthill as a little kid and playing God and you killing, killing on the left and right and you die and you live and you die. You know, but when you know that they How many of you stick your hand in the ant bed and let them all live after they've bit and ate you up? And yet God, He could have stopped everything that took place at Calvary, but He didn't. You know why? Because of the love for you and I. He had the patience to endure the suffering of the cross. Man, when you think about it, that's deep to understand that He was so patient there. And yet, His love is so perfect, and it provides for us. I think God, not only do we find His love in the Word of God, we find salvation is free to all. The way to God is through Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me. Jesus made three phenomenal claims in that verse. He says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And you know what? This is what everyone seems to be searching for. What are they searching for? They are searching for a way to heaven. They are searching for a little truth so they will feel good. And yes, they all want life, eternal life. But there's a catch in that phrase. You get it? What's the catch? Look at the last part of that, well I hadn't had you turn over that verse, but it's John chapter 14 and verse 6 if you want to turn over there. Maybe you need to see that this morning. John chapter 14 and verse 6. Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life, things that all people are looking for. As a matter of fact, the world hopes there is not a hell, but they pray there is a heaven. No one comes to the Father except by Me. See, that is the catchphrase. Trusting Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life. It seems to be simple for most folks, and many of us today have already accepted that. But the problem is, it's man's pride that holds us back. You see, the precious Word of God is like this candy. It's full of the way, the truth, and the life. Here's the other thing that we find, is that the Word of God is profitable. When you get into the Word of God, is that it's profitable. Profitable for what? Turn if you will to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3 and look with me down to verse 16. For all scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for what? Doctrine. Paul gives us five reasons why we should get into God's word, God's chocolate candy box. Why? Because it's profitable for doctrine. God wants man to know beyond a doubt who God is. Who is man? I was not long ago, we'd been visiting in a church in Sunday school class. We were sitting in the Sunday school class. And this man got up. It's amazing to me how churches can get off doctrinally, but he was telling all the people in Sunday school that they could be demon-possessed as a believer. I said, where did you get that from? I looked at my wife, she looked at me, and we said, whoa, what have we got ourselves into here? And that was a visiting missionary up there, and then we found out that the preacher believed it too. The pastor of the church. You see really what it comes down to. Thank God we get into God's Word. It tells us what's right and what's wrong. Amen? I mean, the good thing is nobody's going to have to lie. You know, it's amazing to me that people that will follow false doctrine. The Word of God is profitable to me. When I get into it and I begin to study it, and when I begin to eat it and I begin to consume it, then I know when things are not right. Thank God it's profitable that I might learn and I might grow. It's also profitable for reproof. Reproof or conviction is one and the same. Sometimes I get into my Bible reading And here's what I am. I'm going through the candy box. Okay. Now, that looks pretty good today. I think I'm on. I knew better than that. Oh my. But it looked good. That was a good one, by the way. But you know what I mean. I could have got a bad one. And I did not want to go preaching this message. And that was all I could taste all through the rest of church. Sometimes when we get in the Word, it becomes bitter. You know why? Because it's there to reprove us. There were times my dad got on to me that I really didn't like it. There were times we were out there behind the house in that huge garden he raked, or out there messing with those hogs or those cows, and both of us swamped down. We'd get old enough, we'd go and run away. Huh? After he reproved us. Huh? We don't like reproof, do we? And yet when you read God's Word, sometimes, what does it do? It tastes bitter. We like it when it's all good. Amen? But we don't like it when it's bitter. And that's what happens. That's why a lot of people don't like getting into... It's because they're afraid they're going to find it bitter. Thank God for the reproof. that is in our lives. In other words, we take a bite of that chocolate and it's not real sweet. Listen, God wants man to sense conviction and to be rebuked when he's disobedient to God's will. You know, here's the great thing. If we would just do what God wants us to do, we'd be no problems with Him. Poms were always sweet at the house when we did what we was told to do. You come home and do the chores you were supposed to do when you came home from school? You slopped those hogs even though you didn't want the sour smell? That sour mash smell, I'll tell you what, that'll be with me the rest of my life. Daddy'd get out there and he'd cook the whole kernels of corn. He'd let it swell up and bust open. That stuff would go to stinking, then you'd put turnip greens in there and they'd boil it a little bit. And I'll tell you what, as many a day I went to school smelling like that because it was all over my hands. Some things I didn't like doing. But you know what? It was building character. Oh, I liked the good days when you'd come home and you'd do your chores and everything else. Things were great. But when you do wrong, God is going to correct you. Profitable for correction also. See, I led into my other one. Not only reproof, but correction. Don't think that God is just going to reprove you and leave you alone. He is going to correct you. He wants to put you on the right path. And thank God, God's Word will put you on the right path. Amen? It sends you down the right road. He will show you the correct way. I'll never forget daddy many times grabbing stuff and saying, give me that thing, let me show you how it's done. Now that was nice. My daddy was a deacon in a church. He was good. He'd snatch that thing out of your hand and show you how to be done. And you better do it right the next time. But at least he showed you. You know what? God's Word does the same thing. God gives us many examples in the Word of how to do it the right way. Yeah? In other words, we can go for the last part of that. It says, correction for instruction. You see? There we go. Training in righteousness. Instruction. God wants man to know the right way to do it. I like Psalm 32, verse 8, where he says, I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way. The problem is sometimes we don't want to follow the path to it. Thank God today that God's Word is sweet. It does attract us. Sometimes a little bitterness comes in causes us not to want to test out the waters. But you know, by spending time in God's Word, we'll have what we need. God's Word is profitable. It's what's right. For proof what is not right. For correction on how to get right. And for instruction is how to stay right. A Christian who studies the Word of God and applies it will learn to grow in holiness and avoid many pitfalls of the Bible. On challenges today, Forrest was right. Life is just like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get when you get inside. I mean, they keep today, and in the lid they do print So you can know. But let's say they don't put that in there. You see, the greatest thing about God is that He controls the box. And every piece is full of purpose. Let me tell you why I know that. Years ago, probably about ten years ago, I was headed from Zephyr Hills to Now I forgot, Floral City. Every year I'd preach three times in the Christian school over there for Clarence Helms. I was riding one day and I had the radio turned over. That morning I was in such a hurry. I hadn't pulled out the Bible and read it. I knew one of the radio stations, you know where they just read the word. Read the word. I mean it got that nice beautiful voice. I wonder whether, you know. He's just reading along there just nice and great. And all of a sudden, my heart got so convicted that I had to pull over to the side of the road. You know, it's amazing to me if we just get in the Word, how strong and powerful. I had no idea where they were going to be at that day. And he'd been reading for over 30 minutes. And all of a sudden, he hit a part that was just for me. And that's the way it is. You know, I'm not saying this is what you should do every time and ask God, Bless me, Lord. But let me tell you something. God's Word is so good that He can do it. And He can nail you. And He can give you what you need for the day. It's important that we feed upon the Word. Thank God there are times that it's sweet Thank God there is times of bitterness. Because without the bitterness, we'd never grow. Take God's Word. Learn to love it. Take the good with the bad. And use it. Become what you need. Everything you need in this life is here. Somebody said, well, you know, when you were born, you didn't come with an instruction manual. You're right. We have the greatest instruction manual there is. There's really not a good instruction manual written on marriage. The Word of God is. I was telling them in Sunday school about the barber I have. This week we were discussing, I might not see him anymore. He's got cancer. They're fixing the head too. Bay Pines veteran, he's a veteran, going down there and it's going to be his last stop. He's going to end his days there. And we were discussing, you know, about the Bible and he's been trying to witness to his family. And he said, you know, and he says, I regret all those years I never really picked up the book and read it. And he said, I love to read. My wife loves to read. She'll read book after book. Lately, she hasn't had time to read a lot of books, novels, different things like that. My mom, what, she reads two a week, three a week? She reads one in a day. Beats anything I've ever seen. She's got more time than I ever had. But I can give her a book and she's done with it by the end of the day. And then won't give it to me and expect me to read it in a day. But he says, I got into God's Word. And he said, And he said, do you know this is in there? I said, yes, sir. He said, you probably know this is in there also. I said, yeah. He keeps telling me these stories and how they apply to people's lives. He says, it's an unbelievable book. He says, I don't know why I didn't start reading it sooner. He said, I can't put it down. I wish that all of us were to that point in our lives that we love God's Word so strong that we never put it down. Let us pray. Father, we thank You for the opportunity this morning that You have given us. Lord, I know that there are times where we don't see the, how shall I put it? We don't have ultimate happiness and joy and peace in our lives like it should be. But thank God Your Word is not like the world which offers up a phony substitute. Lord, I'm so thankful that Your Word offers real answers to our problems. God give us a taste, a desire to want to be in the Word. That we'll just want to dig in and take a bite out each and every day. Lord, we're so thankful that You loved us, first of all. Not only that, Lord, but You offered salvation unto us. And you didn't just stop at salvation, but you were concerned in cleaning our lives up and wanting to be a part of our life on a daily basis. Thank you, Lord, for giving us such a wonderful book that can help us in our everyday life. And we ask these things in thy name. Amen.