The Unread BestsellerWe have free and ample access to

God’s Holy Book. Yet, 64% of

Americans fail to read the Bible

because they claim they are just too

busy.

The Unread Bestseller• Approximately 100 million Bibles

are printed worldwide each year making it, hands down, the best selling book of all time.

• 92% of all Americans own at least one edition

• The Gideons distribute over 45 million Bibles each year

• However, in times past, the words of God were not as readily available as they are today.

The Unread Bestseller• In Middle Ages it took three

tedious years for qualified scribes to hand print just one copy of the Scriptures.

• Only the rich and powerful had a copy of the text.

• Most were uneducated, and unable to read in their own language, much less the Latin text that was most common in that day.

The Unread Bestseller• By the 1450’s Johannes

Gutenberg, a printer from Mainz, Germany invented what historians have called the most important invention of the past millenium.

• First printing press with moveable type took the Bible as its first project. The Gutenberg Bible opened the door for placing God’s word into the hands of the people.

• However, still took 3 years for 180 copies, and still out of reach of common man.

The Unread Bestseller• Gutenberg’s Bible cost the

equivalent of an average worker’s three year salary.

• Men such as Martin Luther, John Wycliffe and William Tyndale sacrificed greatly in their efforts to have the Bible printed and translated into the common languages of man.

• Because of their efforts, today we have free and ample access to the Word of God. But…

The Unread Bestseller• 64% of Americans fail to read the

Bible because they claim they are just too busy.

• Less than 50% of Americans can name the first book of the Bible (Gallup)

• 66% don’t know who delivered the sermon on the mount (Gallup)

• A 1997 Barna survey reported that 12% of those questioned thought Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife!

• The Bible has become the “unread Bestseller”

The Unread Bestseller

• You have a Bible that has been translated into your own language– Do you delight in it? (Psa. 119:16, 103)

Psalm 119:16, 103

(16), “I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”

(103), “How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

The Unread Bestseller

• You have a Bible that has been translated into your own language– Do you delight in it? (Psa. 119:16, 103)

• You have been blessed with an education which allows you to read your Bible– Do you study it? (Psa. 119:148; 2 Tim. 2:15)

Psalm 119:148

“My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.”

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”

(2 Timothy 2:15)

The Unread Bestseller

• You have a Bible that has been translated into your own language– Do you delight in it? (Psa. 119:16, 103)

• You have been blessed with an education which allows you to read your Bible– Do you study it? (Psa. 119:148; 2 Tim. 2:15)

• You are not persecuted for owning a Bible– Are you ashamed to be seen carrying one?

(Rom. 1:16)

Romans 1:16

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

The Unread Bestseller

• Many have sacrificed their freedom and lives in order to translate it into the common venacular– Do you stand in awe of it? (Psa. 119:61)

Psalm 119:61

“Princes persecute me without a cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your word.”

The Unread Bestseller

• Many have sacrificed their freedom and lives in order to translate it into the common venacular– Do you stand in awe of it? (Psa. 119:61)

• Apostles and Prophets were imprisoned, whipped, and violently executed so you could have God’s holy word– Do you walk worthy of it? (Eph. 4:1-3)

Ephesians 4:1-3

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

The Unread Bestseller

• Many have sacrificed their freedom and lives in order to translate it into the common venacular– Do you stand in awe of it? (Psa. 119:61)

• Apostles and Prophets were imprisoned, whipped, and violently executed so you could have God’s holy word– Do you walk worthy of it? (Eph. 4:1-3)

• Jesus was crucified so you could have the truth– Will you obey it? (John 1:1, 14; 6:68)

John 1:1, 14; 6:68

(1), “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

(14), “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

(6:68), “But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”

The Unread Bestseller

• You have the life-giving gospel– Will you share it with others?

(Mark 16:15)

Mark 16:15

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”

The Unread Bestseller

• You have the life-giving gospel– Will you share it with others?

(Mark 16:15)• Many parents in the past could not read the

Bible to their children– Do you read it to yours? (Deut. 6:6-9; Eph. 6:4)

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Ephesians 6:4

“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

The Unread Bestseller

• You have the life-giving gospel– Will you share it with others?

(Mark 16:15)• Many parents in the past could not read the

Bible to their children– Do you read it to yours? (Deut. 6:6-9; Eph. 6:4)

• You have the divinely revealed mind of God recorded for you!– Do you twist, pervert, and add your opinions to

it? (Gal. 1:6-9)

Galatians 1:6-9“I marvel that you are turning away so soon

from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”

ConclusionYou have within your grasp the words of eternal life! Do your eyes fail from searching it?

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).