"A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD"
Studying The Bible
INTRODUCTION
1. An important element involved in our walk with God is BIBLE STUDY
2. Some new Christians find difficulty getting started in this area
3. But this is an important duty, one which the Bible emphasizes
- Ac 2:42; 1 Pe 2:2
I. WHY BIBLE STUDY IS IMPORTANT
A. BECAUSE THE BIBLE POSSESSES THE POWER OF "SANCTIFICATION"...
1. "Sanctification" means "to set apart"; as used in the Bible,
to set apart for God's purpose
2. The Word of God is the means by which God does this...
a. As praised by David in his psalm - Ps 19:7-11
b. As mentioned in the prayer of Jesus - Jn 17:17
-- IF WE ARE GOING TO BE USEFUL TO GOD, THEN WE NEED TO STUDY HIS
WORD!
B. BECAUSE THE BIBLE POSSESSES THE POWER OF "PRESERVATION"...
1. A lack of knowledge has always destroyed the people of God
- Ho 4:6
2. But the YOUNG can keep their ways pure by the Word of God
- Ps 119:9
3. And the ELDERS were exhorted to keep the church by the Word
- Ac 20:28-32
-- ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS TOWARD BACKSLIDING IS TO NEGLECT GOD'S
WORD!
C. BECAUSE THE BIBLE POSSESSES THE POWER OF "SALVATION" AND
"CONDEMNATION"...
1. Received properly, it can save our souls! - Ja 1:21
2. It will be the standard by which we will be judged - Jn 12:48
[Will the Word save us, or will it condemn us? Careful study and
application of the Bible will make the difference!]
II. WHY BIBLE STUDY IS OFTEN NEGLECTED
A. SOME PEOPLE JUST "TAKE THE PREACHER'S WORD"...
1. For this reason, they do not study for themselves
2. Most preachers are good men, but they can still be wrong
- Ac 18:24-26
3. It is our responsibility to "test the spirits" (1 Jn 4:1-2),
and to be able to identify "false apostles" (2 Co 11:13-15)
B. SOME PEOPLE SAY "THEY CAN'T GET ANYTHING OUT OF THE BIBLE"...
1. This may be because they read it so little, or because they do
not know how to go about studying it
2. Often it is because they do not use a modern English
translation
3. Most have simply made little effort to understand it
4. Yet Paul assumed that people could understand it if they read
it - cf. Ep 3:3-4
C. SOME PEOPLE SAY "THEY DON'T HAVE THE TIME"...
1. People who DO study are busy too, but they leave off things
that are less important
2. As Jesus commanded, we must put the things of the kingdom of
God FIRST - Mt 6:33
[There is really no excuse for neglecting the Word of God. In view of
its importance, we would be foolish to do so.
But how shall one study the Word of God? There are several different
approaches...]
III. METHODS OF BIBLE STUDY
A. THE "PLANNED-LESSON" METHOD...
1. "A Closer Walk With God" is an example of this method
2. Someone prepares lessons on a subject, then it is studied in a
class or at home
3. This is a good way to study, but one's study should not be
limited to this method
B. THE "SUBJECT" METHOD...
1. This involves selecting some subject (e.g., "baptism"), then
collecting and studying each passage in the Bible on the
subject
2. This method has its advantages, but it can be easy to take
things out of context and draw the wrong conclusion
C. THE "BOOK" METHOD...
1. This consists of an intensive study of a single book of the
Bible
2. Since the Bible was written a book at a time, this is probably
the best way to study the Bible
3. DAILY BIBLE READING programs can very easily utilize this
approach to the Scriptures
a. E.g., following a program to read through the entire Bible
each year
b. E.g., taking a chapter each week to read and study daily,
you can cover the New Testament in depth over a five year
period
-- Doing both of these will give a person an OVERALL under-
standing of the Bible and an INDEPTH understanding of the
New Testament
[To get more out of the studying you do...]
IV. SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR BIBLE STUDY
A. SET A REGULAR TIME...
1. Regularity is a key to success, so set aside some regular time
for study
a. For "night owls", the best time may be late at night, after
the children are in bed
b. For "morning larks", early morning before the children
arise might be better
2. Family study is a good practice, but each person needs also to
have a regular time in which he or she can come face to face
with God's message ALONE
B. PRAY AS YOU STUDY...
1. Begin your study with prayer - cf. Ps 119:18
2. As you study, ask God for the wisdom and strength to
understand and obey His Word - cf. Ps 119:5,6
3. End your study with prayer - cf. Ps 119:10-11
C. UTILIZE VARIOUS HELPS...
1. TRANSLATIONS
a. Using various translations can help make understanding the
Bible easier
b. The more reliable translations are:
1) King James Version (a classic, but somewhat archaic)
2) New King James Version (my personal choice)
3) American Standard Version (most literal, but hard to
read)
4) New American Standard Version (a wordy update to the
ASV)
c. Some translations that are easy to read can be used as
references (e.g., New International Version)
d. One should not put much stock in versions translated...
1) By one man (e.g., The Living Bible)
2) By individuals from one denominational background (e.g.,
The New World Translation)
2. DICTIONARIES
a. Not knowing the meaning of words is the most common cause
for not understanding the Bible
b. An ordinary English dictionary can be used, but there are
special Bible dictionaries that are more useful and
accurate
c. A good one is "Vine's Expository Dictionary"
3. CONCORDANCE
a. This useful work contains words in alphabetical order along
with a list of verses in the Bible where they are found
b. It can be a great time saver in finding verses based on a
given subject
c. If possible, use a concordance based upon the translation
you use
4. ENCYCLOPEDIAS
a. This type of reference gives detailed articles on the
people, places, and things mentioned in the Bible
b. Two good sets are:
1) Zondervan's Pictorial Encyclopedia Of The Bible
2) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
5. COMMENTARIES
a. These are books written by scholars commenting on various
books of the Bible
1) One must be careful, as these scholars are not inspired
and are subject to mistakes
2) But their insights and the fruit of their own study can
be helpful
b. It might be good to ask mature Christians what commentaries
they can recommend
6. These and other reference helps are often found in church
libraries and may be available for your use; in time, you
should gradually develop your own library of Bible study aids
CONCLUSION
1. Such aids can be a great help, but make sure that the conclusions
you draw are based upon your own careful study of God's Word!
2. What is most important is that we are engaged in some sort of
consistent, systematic study of the Bible so that we are ever being
blessed by the Word of God!
SOME QUESTIONS TO STIMULATE YOUR THINKING...
1. How long do you study the Bible daily?
2. Do you study the class lessons at home (when available) that you
have in church?
3. If you are not doing so now, are you willing to spend 15-30 minutes
daily in Bible study?
4. What's your biggest problem in studying?
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