How to Learn to study your Bible by yourself.

 

2nd lesson = Digging deeper into God’s Word.

Last week we started to get acquainted with the book we are studying, and it was great to learn already so many important things about the Bible. Today I would like to dig in a little deeper in this profound message how Tim Lahaye teaches us in this book.

1. Have you ever taken a tour in your Bible, to see what actually the whole Bible focuses on?

2. What would you say is the main subject of the Bible without searching for it right now?

3. What is the main subject you look for when you read your Bible?

The majority of people always read the Bible because they want to read it to learn from God’s Word, so they can grow in their spiritual walk with Jesus. But; let’s take a pause and think a little, the last 3 times you read the Bible, were you looking for something specific in your devotional reading?  Did you find it? Or were you doing the next chapter from where you left of the last time?

Why is the Word of God so important for all of us to know and understand?  The book we are looking at today gives us 3 ways how God reveals Himself to us. God has a special way of communicating with His children. On page 58 of our book we read about God’s Three Revelations. Why is it important to know these three revelations?

1.Through creation. => Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19-20.

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.’

2.Through Jesus Christ => The Bible states clearly that God reveals Himself through Jesus Christ.

Hb. 1:1-3; “1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

John 1:1-10 => “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.  6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”

3.Through the Bible – His Word.  =>   How does the Bible reveal Jesus to us?  As the author of this book says: The Bible as we read it becomes alive to us. And why is that? Because it is the only book that as we read it, the author himself speaks to us. He makes His word become alive to us. He will help us understand it, He will make it have meaning as we encounter with Him in His word.

ñ         Pr. 30:5   Word of God is pure

ñ         Is. 40:8 Shall stand forever.

ñ         Luke 8:11 The seed is the word of God.

ñ         Hebrew 4:12 The work is quick and powerful.

ñ         1 Peter 1:23 Born again by the Word of God.

                           

Does God speak to you and me as well?

When you read the Bible have you noticed that God communicates with you as you read?

Try to make the habit of talking to the Lord as you read and meditate. The Bible says clearly that the Holy Spirit indwells in us. And Jesus said my sheep hear my voice. So, we need to learn to listen to God speak to us as we read His Word; and we need to talk to Him as well.  Many people have only formal prayers, but we can talk as friends with God. The Bible gives mention of that God talked to Moses as a Friend. Ex. 33:11 (NIV) “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”

How much more will God speak to us, in whom Jesus said, if we receive Him, He and His Father will come and make their living in us.  God speaks to us in our daily life.

Mathew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

We need to learn to talk to the Lord while we do the reading and meditating, and it is a matter of time you will notice that peaceful voice inside of you, that will guide you through the passage you are reading; and all of a sudden it seems so clear to you. That is the way the Lord speaks in your heart to you. You will notice Jesus speaking to you as you read and ponder over the subject and lead you to other passages that refer to the same subject.

Getting Familiar with the Books of the Bible => The World’s Greatest Library.

Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,’

Colossians 3:16  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 1:5  “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.”

1 Thessalonians 1:8  “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.”

James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Pages 60 to 79 the author of our book gives us an overview of what is in the Bible and how it is organized. It is very important to understand which part tells us about History, which is Prophecy and which are the parts of the Old Testament that talk about the promised Messiah that would save the world.  Jesus, the Christ who is God’s Son. 

In the Old Testament God spoke of Jesus as a promise that He would send Him. In the 4 Gospels in the New Testament we have the life of the Lord Jesus here on earth and how God fulfilled that promise. And now we are where in all this? We, are part of the fulfillment of the Old and New Testament. What is going on in the World now is a great part of what Revelation talks about the End Time before the Second coming of Jesus.

What are you and I doing to be part of it so that it can be fulfilled? We, need to be willing to learn from Jesus, in order to grow in knowledge and wisdom so we can submit to Him in obedience; so that He can do through us what He has forespoken just the same way he used the prophets, apostles and all the servants of the Lord He used in all centuries up till now.

Today it is our turn to say: Here I am Lord, use me as it pleases you.

1.   Are you willing to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior?

2.   Will you follow no matter what the cost?

Before you answer … let’s take a moment to think…

How many hours, minutes a day   do you waist on unnecessary things like… who knows maybe TV programs that are like Psalm 1 says that will lead your thought as it says in verse 1: in step with the wicked or leads your thoughts to stand alongside with the way of the sinners; and as long as you watch that same show it will be used by the enemy to be in company of the mockers, even though it is just watching on television.  Maybe Internet,?? Or... name it before the Lord what ever it is that might be hindering you.

One day I made an oat with God, not to watch worldly programs on TV no more, because I felt I was doing wrong be doing so.   Now take a time to answer the following question:… will you follow no matter what?    Which one of these things that come to my mind could I give up in order to do something like this homework from our Bible Study?

3rd Lesson = Getting familiar with the greatest Library = 66 Books.

It might night be the biggest for having the greatest numbers of books; but it is the greatest because of the content of the 66 Books, every single one written by God Himself using a human being to do so.

As we look into our 2 books that we are getting acquainted with, they give us a very good outline as how the Bible is organized. The book ‘How To Study Your Bible By Yourself’ is based mostly on ‘Halley’s Bible Handbook’. Let us turn to the pages 60 to 79. I suggest you to read this as your homework this week; and maybe you say in your heart: I do not have time for this. There is a saying that says: ‘If God brought you to it, He will bring you through it.’ Trust me if God brought you into this Bible Study; if you seek the Lord to guide you, He will help you organize your 24 hours daily in such a way that you will be able to do it and there still will be time left over to share this blessings with others. Amen, praise God.

How is the Bible organized? As both books show us. We have the Old Testament with 39 books. And we have the New Testament with 27 books.  You can find the detailed description in Halley’s Bible handbook and in How to study the Bible for yourself. Let us check it out.  This will be your homework to read these pages for the next 2 weeks. Pages 60-79 give us a very understandable outline of it.

A. Is the Old Testament we have the same as the Torah that the Jews have?       

B. Does Archeology give us any proof of it? Yes, it does. They found the Scroll of Isaiah and it is the one from which Jesus read in the Synagogue and it is word by word exactly the same as it is in our Bible. 

The Torah has only 22 books, and in their Scripture have some of the books combined as we see   detailed on page 63 (How to study your Bible).

a) The Law …. 5 books of Moses. Pentateuch

b)  History… Joshua, Judges, Books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Ruth.

c) Wisdom and Poetry =Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. 

d) Major Prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Lamentations.

e) Minor Prophets – 12 minor.

 

The Silent years = 400 years without God speaking to his people.

 

B. The Bible has the Old Testament; which is the same as theTorah the Jewish Law Books, and the New Testament – 27 books.

a) The Gospels

b) Church History in Acts

c) Pauline Epistles

d) General Epistles

e) Prophecy- Revelations.