Study 13
READING GOD’S WORD
Before we begin this study, let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father we ask you to please open our eyes, our ears and our heart so we can truly see, hear and understand why it is imperative for us to faithfully read and study Your Word.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
In earlier studies we discovered that the Bible is the Word of God. This study is written to help us understand the importance, significance and necessity for us, the born again Christians, to continually read and study His Word. To do this we will,
1. See that faith in God comes and is strengthened by hearing and reading God’s Word.
2. Find that God’s Word provides us with spiritual nourishment.
3. Discover that His Word is to be used for correction and reproof.
4. See that God’s Word is to be used in our struggle against the evil one.
5. Find that God’s Word helps us to pray in His will.
With this brief introduction in mind we begin our study by noting that,
FAITH COMES BY HEARING OR READING GOD’S WORD
First of all, as we discovered in Study 3 the Old Testament was written to lead us to Jesus Christ. To see this, let us read how Jesus beautifully summarized this when He, after His resurrection, appeared to His disciples and instructed them how everything written about Him must be fulfilled. We find His instruction recorded in,
Luke 24:44-45
"[44] He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." [45] Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
Let us notice the following verses,
44 … Jesus partitioned the Old Testament into (1) The Law of Moses, (2) The Prophets and (3) The Psalms. He also said that everything written about Him in the Old Testament must be fulfilled.
This raises the question of; “What was written about Him in the Old Testament to lead us to Jesus Christ?” The answer to this question is twofold.
First, the Law of Moses was given to reveal to us our sins. To see this let us consider the following instruction that was given to the church in Galatia.
Galatians 3:19-25
[19] What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. [20] Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. [21] Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. [22] But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. [23] But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. [24] Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. [25] But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Let us notice the following verses,
21 … As we read in previous studies the Law cannot give life, which in this case, means forgiveness of our sins.
22a … The Old Testament Law convicts and holds us accountable for all our sins.
22b … The purpose of this conviction or accountability was so that the promise of our salvation or forgiveness for our sins would be given to us by belief and faith in Jesus Christ.
24 … In other words, the Law was/is our teacher to bring us to Christ.
To expand upon this let us read the following portion of John the Baptist’s witness that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God. The Scripture of interest is,
John 1:17
[17] For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Thus, as we read the New Testament we find that God’s plan to save us, both Jew and Gentile, from the penalty of our sins was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. To verify this truth let us read what God the Holy Spirit wrote in,
1 Peter 1:10-12
[10] Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, [11] searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. [12] To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
Let us notice the following verse,
10 … The prophets identified in this verse refer to the prophets who wrote the Words from God in the Old Testament books of the prophets and the Psalms.
12 … The prophets wrote about the arrival of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
With the above in mind one comes to the realize that, the faith we have in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins came from hearing or reading God’s Word. To see this let us read the following Scripture,
Romans 10:17a
“Faith comes by hearing … God’s Word”
However, this does not imply that to receive faith we are to read and study the Bible like a text book, that is with our own understanding or intellect. No! Let us not forget the second half of the above Scripture. Specifically,
Romans 10: 17b
“... Hearing comes by the Word of God.”
In other words, the ability to hear, which is to understand, God’s Word comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. To see this, let us reread what Jesus, just prior to His ascension into Heaven, said to disciples.
Luke 24:44-45
"[44] He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." [45] Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
Let us pay particular attention to verse 45 and consider all the time Jesus spent with the disciples teaching them about the Kingdom of God. Yet, it was not until Jesus opened their minds that they could truly understand the Scriptures. So it is with us! In other words, before we read or listen to the Bible we are to come before Jesus and ask Him to open our minds to understand.
As we consider the above, we come to realize that understanding God’s Word and to receive and grow in Godly faith is a gift. It is not something we work up. In fact, this is exactly what the Bible teaches in,
Ephesians 2:8
"[8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--"
Just as it is written, Jesus Christ is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. This beautifully expressed in the following exhortation from,
Hebrews 12:2(a)
"[12] Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, ..."
Consequently, as we spend time reading and studying God’s Word while depending upon Jesus to open our ears, eyes and heart so we can hear, see and understand what was written, our faith in Jesus Christ grows and our doubts and unbelief fades away.
In addition to increasing and strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ we find that,
GOD’S WORD PROVIDES US WITH SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT
To see this we go to Deuteronomy to read what Moses said to encourage the nation of Israel to remain in their faith in God.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
[2] Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. [3] He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."
Let us notice the following verse,
3 … Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
In other words, throughout their 40 year journey to the promised land of Canaan Israel depended upon God to physically nourish them. To keep them physically nourished for their journey, God sent them Manna to eat, which was a type of bread from Heaven. It is also noted that, except on the Sabbath, each morning the people had to go out on the desert floor and gather that day’s meal of Manna.
It is the same for us. Each day when we reverently and prayerfully read or digest the Bible, that is God’s Word, we receive spiritual nourishment for our spiritual journey to our home in Heaven.
This is why the Bible is sometimes referred to as spiritual food. For example, let us read how Paul referred to God’s Word as milk and solid food when he chastised the Hebrews for not maturing in their faith.
Hebrews 5:12-14
"[12] In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! [13] Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. [14] But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
Thus the third benefit the born again believer receives from reading God’s Word is that,
GOD’S WORD IS TO BE USED FOR CORRECTION
This benefit for the born again believer is twofold. First of all, as we read His word we find that,
GOD’S WORD HELPS US TO STAY MORALLY STRONG AND LIVE IN A MANNER THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD
In this age of relative truths, sliding morals and flexible ethics, it is of great value and comfort to read a book with values, ethics and promises that does not and will not change with time or culture.
Consequently, we find that God’s Word is a measure or plumb bob that judges our thoughts and attitudes. To see this, let us read from,
Hebrews 4:12-13
"[12] For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. [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."
Since God’s Word penetrates right through our exterior masks and speaks directly to the very issues of our heart, we find that it is to be used for teaching, correction and reproof. In other words, as we read God’s Word with all His statutes, judgments and commands we become convicted of our sins, the unholy attitudes of our heart and how far we may have strayed from Him. With these convictions we are moved to go to Jesus and ask for His forgiveness. To see this let is consider the following Scriptures,
1 John 1:8-9
[8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Secondly,
GOD’S WORD REVEALS TO US FALSE TEACHINGS OR ACTIVITIES THAT COULD LEAD US AWAY FROM TRUE BIBLICAL FAITH
Perhaps the best was to see this is by reading what the people in Berea did after they heard what Paul and Silas taught and preached to them. To do this we go to,
Acts 17:10-11
[10] Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. [11] 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.
In other words, the Jews in Berea, to be sure that the Apostle Paul and his companion, Silas, preached and taught was true, they tested their teachings to determine whether or not they were consistent and in accordance with the teachings of the Scriptures.
So it should be with us. Anything we hear, read or see that is spiritual or religious in nature we should test it to the truth of God’s Word. If anything is added, modified or deleted from the truth of the Bible we are to reject it and stay away from that false teaching or activity. To see this consider the following instructions that were given to the believer’s in Rome,
[17] Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. [18] For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
Let us notice the following verse,
18 … In other words, those who do such things are not speaking the truth of God’s Word. Instead they are trying to entice you to follow them for their own profit. As stated in verse 17 … avoid them!
SUMMARY
To summarize this portion of our study let us read the following statement Paul wrote in his letter of instruction to Timothy.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
"[16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
The fourth benefit we receive from reading the Bible is that,
GOD’S WORD IS TO BE USED IN OUR STRUGGLE AGAINST THE EVIL ONE
A good example for us to follow is by observing what Jesus did when He was confronted by the evil one. To do this we will examine each of the three temptations to determine what they were and how Jesus overcame them.
FIRST TEMPTATION - CRAVINGS OF THE FLESH (Food, drink, etc.)
A record of this temptation can be found in,
Matthew 4:2-4
"[2] After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. [3] The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." [4] Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'""
In reflecting upon the above we can see that,
1. Satan was challenging Jesus with respect to who He is. He did this with the implication that God the Father would not want Him to suffer.
2. Satan was also trying to get Jesus to quench His hunger by taking independent action. He was doing this by tempting Jesus to exercise His own authority and power. Remember, it was God the Holy Spirit Who led Jesus into the desert to fast.
To more fully understand the depth and significance of Jesus' Response, let us go and reread the Scripture He quoted. It is an excerpt from the book of Deuteronomy where Moses was reminding the people of Israel about God's past dealings with them.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
"[2] Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. [3] He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."
In this passage the Bible also teaches us that, contrary to this world's way of thinking, we are totally dependent upon God for all things, such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. Yes, we are to work for our physical provisions, see 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12. However, let us consider the following Scripture,
John 3:27
"[27] To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven."
Consequently, our Lord Jesus Christ instructs us to pray as follows:
Matthew 6:9-11
""[9] This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, [10] your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. [11] Give us today our daily bread."
Notice the attitude we should have is not one of demanding from God but one of respectfully asking Him for our needs.
SECOND TEMPTATION - PRIDE OF LIFE (Self importance)
A description of this temptation can be found in,
Matthew 4:5-7
"[5] Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. [6] "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" [7] Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'""
As we study this temptation let us notice how Satan can and will twist the Scripture. To see this a bit more clearly, let us read the passage from which Satan quoted. It is,
Psalm 91:11-12
"[11] For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; [12] they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
Now some might ask: "What is the perversion? What is the issue here?" The answer to these questions is that the implication of Satan's temptation was that Jesus could do whatever He liked and still remain in the Father's protection. Thus, before Jesus' ministry on earth began Satan is actually attempting to get Jesus to do His own will and then demand from the Father to make good on His promise to protect Him! We must remember that Jesus came down from Heaven to do the will of God the Father. This is recorded for us in,
John 6:38
"[38] For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me."
We too are to have this same attitude, consider,
Colossians 4:12
"[12] Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."
With this in mind, let us now read Jesus' response to this second temptation from Satan.
Matthew 4:7
"[7] Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'""
This now brings us to,
THE THIRD TEMPTATION - LUST OF THE EYES (Power, wealth, success, etc.)
A description of this temptation can be found in,
Matthew 4:8-11
"[8] Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. [9] "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." [10] Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" [11] Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him."
This is a very interesting temptation. The Bible teaches us that Jesus was to inherit all these things. It also teaches us that all power and glory belongs to Jesus Christ. To see this let us consider the following excerpt from the Gospel according to John,
John 13:3
"[3] Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;"
Notice that the power and inheritance Jesus received was from God the Father. The Bible also teaches us that Jesus received it because of His obedience to Him. To see this let us prayerfully consider the following excerpt from Paul's letter to the church in Philippi.
Philippians 2:8-11
"[8] And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! [9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Thus, we find that Satan was tempting Jesus to avoid all the trials and sufferings He was to endure. Satan was trying to get Jesus to circumvent the Father's will and receive the power that was under his, Satan's, control.
It is interesting to note that we too have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God. To see this let us read from,
Romans 8:16-17
"[16] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. [17] Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Let us notice the following verses,
16 … The born again believers in Jesus Christ are children of God.
17(a) … Hence, we are heirs of the Kingdom.
17(b) … However, as Jesus, we too must share in His sufferings before we can share in His glory. These sufferings refer to our struggle against sin and the temptations from Satan. To see this let us consider the following Scripture,
Hebrews 4:14-16
[14] Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Now that we have read about the temptations that were put forth to Jesus and how He successfully overcame them, the question arises as to; "What about us?" In other words, when the time of temptation comes to us; "What are we to do to successfully overcome it?" To find out let us now explore,
HOW TO OVERCOME THE TEMPTATIONS BY THE EVIL ONE
When the evil one comes and presents to us a temptation, we are to do as Jesus did. A good summary of Jesus' attitude and action is provided in,
James 4:7
"[7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Let us notice that the Holy Spirit is instructing us to:
7a …Submit to God. We do this by trusting Jesus to help. As we read earlier, one of the reasons Jesus was tempted was so He could sympathize with our struggles and help us in our time of need.
7b … Resist the devil. To do this we must remain steadfast in God's will and direction for us. Remember the example of Jesus. He remained steadfast in God the Father's will and direction for Him. Specifically, He obeyed God the Father and stood firm in His Word. We too must do the same.
7c … Then as he did with Jesus the evil one will flee from us.
The fifth and last benefit we will cover is that,
GOD’S WORD HELPS US TO PRAY IN HIS WILL
To begin this portion of this study let us read an excerpt of what Jesus said to prepare His disciples for His return to God the Father in Heaven. The excerpt of interest is in,
John 16:22-24
[22] Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. [23] “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. [24] Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
As one contemplates what Jesus said the following question may arise; “What does it mean to pray or ask in Jesus’ name?” Perhaps a good way to answer this question is by the following example or illustration.
A mother was in the process of baking a birthday cake for her daughter. Unfortunately, she ran out of sugar. Consequently, the mother sent her daughter to their neighbor to ask for a cup of sugar. The daughter obeyed her mother and went to the neighbor’s house. Upon arriving there she rang the door bell. The neighbor opened the door. Upon seeing the neighbor the daughter tells the neighbor that her mommy ran out of sugar for her birthday cake and sent her to ask if she, her mother, could borrow a cup of sugar. In other words, the daughter asked the neighbor for a cup of sugar in her mother’s name.
So it is with us. We are to ask God the Father in Jesus’ name with our petitions and prayers. To do this we must know Jesus’ will for what we ask for. To expand upon this let us read the following promise as it is recorded in,
1 John 5:14-15
[14] Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. [15] And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
This brings up the following question; “How can we know God’s will for our prayers?” The answer is twofold.
First, the Holy Spirit living within us will help us. To see this let us read from,
Romans 8:26-27
[26] Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. [27] Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Secondly, to have a better knowledge of God and His ways so we can pray in His will, we are to read the Bible. In addition, throughout the Bible there are very good examples of prayers that were said by God’s prophets, apostles, elders and His people. Thus we find the following exhortation Jesus gave to His disciples and now us. It is an excerpt from His parable of the vine. The Scripture of interest is,
John 15:7-8
[7] If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you£ will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. [8] By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. [9] “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
CLOSING
With all that we have covered in mind let us close this study by reading the following excerpt from Psalm 19.
Psalm 19:7-11
"[7] The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. [8] The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. [9] The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. [10] They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. [11] By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward."
Blessed be the Lord forever!
AMEN and AMEN
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