How to Study the Bible - Pt 2
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Master’s Guide
Master’s Guide
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
According to the inspired Word of God, what is the Word?
A sword that pierces. Hebrews 4:12 “12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
A light that shines. Psalm 119:105 “105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
A mirror that reveals. James 1:23 “23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.”
A path to purity. Psalm 119:9 “9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”
A meal that nourishes. 1 Timothy 4:6 “If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.” -NIV
A seed that reproduces. 1 Peter 1:23 “23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”
A fire that consumes. Jeremiah 23:29 “29 Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
A defense against temptation. Psalm 119:11 “11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
The source of our faith. Romans 10:17 “17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
The truth that lives forever. Isaiah 40:8 “8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Today we get to freely open up the Living Word of God. Something that I so often take for granted. We get to be in the presence of Jesus, the Living Word became flesh, who the enemy could not destroy. If you have your bibles, go ahead and turn to the book of Philemon. We are going to continue what we started last week. We are going back to basics and talking about how do we study the Bible?
We are getting way ahead of ourselves by turning to Philemon now, but as you flip through the pages of your bible I want you to think about all that we just talked about. A light that shines, a meal that nourishes, a fire that consumes. As we open God’s word and meditate on what it is, let’s pray.
Pray
It is humbling to think about the fact that God spoke a special and powerful message to us and inspired specific people to record this message and we can easily and readily access it at any time, yet so often I take it for granted. Especially when you think about the fact that many people across the world don’t have access to a Bible. Even worse, in some parts of the world, being a disciple of Jesus is illegal so it is very unlikely for those people to have access to a Bible. There would be severe persecution and it could even get you killed, so if they can get their hands on a single page, there might be a handful of followers of Jesus gathered in a room by candlelight to read the Word, to memorize the Word, to internalize the Word, because they don’t have access to God’s Word.
Yet we live in a place where you might have several copies of God’s word. You might not even know where all of your copies are stored in your house. When you stay at a motel, you are likely to find a Bible in a drawer in your room. You might remember going to visit Grandma and seeing a Bible as big as a car on her coffee table! Now you can download any version of the Bible you want to your phone, and yet so many Christians take the Word of God for granted.
Why don’t we value the Word? Why don’t we study it on a regular basis? Or at all, for some people? There are many reasons. Maybe they don’t believe in God. Maybe they don’t care. Maybe they don’t think it applies to them. For most Christians, I believe they don’t study God’s Word because they just don’t know how. They tried, but it was overwhelming, they got bored and confused, so they gave up.
So today we are taking a practical approach to studying God’s Word. We have been studying the book of Philemon together, and last week we started by getting a basic understanding of where to start. Let’s take a moment to quickly review the 5 important concepts to remember when Studying the Bible…
How to Study the Bible
Choose a translation you understand.
Choose a time, a place, and a plan to study.
Understand the context.
Read slowly and ask questions.
Pray for God to speak to you and apply what He shows you.
Hopefully we have all taken a little time to find a translation that we understand. We don’t want to try to read the NRSVACE or something we don’t understand simply because so-and-so said it was the only true version and the only version real Christians read. We want to find something that is as accurate as possible that we can still understand when we read it.
Choosing a time, place, and plan may be the most difficult part. I know it is for me. You are not required to do it at the same time as your best friend, it is important to find the best time that works with your schedule so that you can commit all of your thoughts and energy toward your time with God in His Word. I remember when I was in high school, everyone said you had to do quiet time in the morning. You must start your day with your bible study in the morning. That was great for about a week, but then I started having a difficult time even staying awake beyond 2 sentences because I am usually not fully awake until around noon. I think it is more important to be able to focus.
Obviously, the place is important as well. If you are trying to study the Bible in the living room while the kids are running around chasing the dog and your spouse is watching TV, it would be difficult to find your Bible, much less study it. Find a time, find a place, make a plan. If you don’t make a plan, and possibly even add it to your daily calendar reminders, when will it happen? Probably never.
Make a plan to do it, make a plan about how you are going to do it. Maybe you want to read a chapter? Maybe a short book? Maybe just a story within a chapter? You could study people in the bible. You could study themes. Whatever it is, make it a plan so that you don’t find yourself staring at the cover and not knowing what to do next. How long will you study? Set aside the time. Whether it is an hour or 5 minutes, the only bad plan is NO PLAN. Every good plan starts with prayer. So before you even start, ask God to walk you through His Word and help you to understand what you read.
If you need a little help getting started, here are 5 different ways to approach the Bible…
5 Different Ways to Approach the Bible
Start with a book of the Bible.
Beginning/God’s Story (Genesis and Exodus)
Gospel (John)
Practical Wisdom (Proverbs and James)
Hurting/Comfort/Devotional/Worship (Psalms)
Theology (Romans)
Study a person in the Bible.
Ruth, Elijah, Peter, Esther
Study a topic in the Bible.
Grace, Anxiety, Lust, Spiritual Fruit
Do a daily devotional or Bible Study Plan.
My Utmost for His Highest (Oswald Chambers), Not a Fan (Kyle Idleman), YouVersion App (53,000 plans)
Read through the whole Bible.
The Bible in One Year (Nicky Gumbel), Read the Bible in One Year (Bible Project)
You gotta start somewhere. If what you start doing isn’t working, change what you are doing. If the plan isn’t working, change the plan. The key is, when you wake up tomorrow, have a plan for when, where, and what you are going to study. Pull out a good translation that you understand, then when you dive in understand the context of what you are reading.
Last week we said that understanding the context means asking 3 questions…
Who wrote it?
To whom was it written?
What was the purpose?
We were studying the book of Philemon and we answered these questions…
Who wrote it?
Paul was the author.
To whom did Paul write the Book of Philemon?
Philemon
What do we know about Philemon?
He was a businessman.
Paul led him to Christ.
He lead a church in his home.
He had a slave named Onesimus.
What do we know about Onesimus?
He was a slave.
He stole from Philemon.
He escaped to Rome.
While in Rome, Paul led him to Christ.
He was useless before, but now he is useful to both Paul and Philemon.
What was the purpose?
Paul is asking Philemon to forgive Onesimus.
We want to understand the context and then read slowly, ask questions, and pray for God to speak to us about how it applies to us. Hans Finzel is an author, podcaster, and speaker who trains leaders all across the world. He once said this…
Application asks, “How should I respond?” Application is the goal of Bible study. It is not enough for us to understand (interpret) Scripture; God wants us to be changed by it.
Hans Finzel
I love this quote. It brings us to our key thought for today. As we study God’s word we need to let this concept sink deep within our hearts…
The Bible is meant to transform us, not just inform us.
It is almost crazy how competitive we can get with God’s word. God wants His Word to transform us, or as David would say, “build the mind of Christ” in us. Yet, have you noticed how sometimes going to church can be a competition? If you have been to a Sunday School class you have probably seen it. They say, “Turn to whatever in your Bible.” Then, like it is some kind of competition, you hear pages coming alive! Who’s gonna get there first? If you have that Bible verse underlined, that makes you even more spiritual. Some people even almost measure their spirituality by how much they know. Knowledge is good, but Scripture actually says, “Knowledge puffs up.”…
1 Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.
The late pastor and author Warren Wiersbe referenced this passage in a quote when he said…
Understanding Bible knowledge can lead to a “big head” (1 Cor. 8:1), but receiving Bible truth and walking with the Savior will lead to a burning heart. -Warren W. Wiersbe
Pastor Rick Warren once said...
The Bible should give us a bigger heart, not a bigger head.” - Rick Warren
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
When we open Scripture, we are not simply seeking knowledge. We are asking God to completely transform us. To use His word to transform us into the men and women He created us to become. To completely change the way we think. Abandoning the old self, the carnal, and the ways of the flesh, and becoming the Christ-like, love driven, God-honoring beings that proclaims His goodness and shines His light in the darkness.
Before we continue our short study of Philemon, I want to tell you about one more method of studying the Bible. It is actually pretty much what we have been talking about, but the concept might be a little easier to get behind, and it will for sure transform your study time in God’s word. It is called “Inductive Study.” How many of you have ever heard of inductive study?
While I was preparing for today, I came across a book called, “How to Study Your Bible” by Kay Arthur. I haven’t had time to read the entire book, but from what I have read so far I can highly recommend it. In fact, I have ordered a copy that I plan to leave here if anyone wants to read it. In the book, she teaches how to study the Bible using a technique called Inductive Study. It might sound complicated, but it is actually very simple. It isn’t some mystical practice or anything like that, it is simply making an inference based on an observation.
To explain it, she used an example of someone studying frogs in a biology class. To use inductive reasoning, this person would go to a creek and watch their eggs hatch and tadpoles emerge. Then they see them develop and grow until one day they emerge from the water. Eventually this person might capture one and dissect it to see how the insides work. Once they have made all of their observations they would compare their findings with what other people have observed to see if their findings match.
She says that it is the same process with the bible…
How to Study Your Bible: Discover the Life-Changing Approach to God's Word The Joy and Value of Inductive Study
You begin with the Bible, observe it in its environment, and then take it apart so that you understand it firsthand. Then, when you’ve seen or discovered all you can on your own, you compare your observations with those of godly men and women who have written about the Word down through the ages.
To study the Bible inductively is a simple 3-step process, which her book goes into great detail about.
Inductive Study:
Observation
What does the passage say?
Interpretation
What does the passage mean?
Application
How does the meaning of this passage apply to me?
I really like the way she breaks this method down, and I think this is one of the best ways to study the bible. There are many ways to study the bible, but not all of them are gonna be beneficial. I like this one because it relies on you observing and learning what the bible is actually saying. Someone once said…
There are only two ways you can study the Bible:
1.Studying it with your mind made up.
2.Studying it to let it make up your mind.
If you are really interested in learning this method, maybe someday we can do a sort of workshop using her book, but for today I just want to give you two analogies from her book that are very helpful.
First, how do we find the context of a passage. “Context” simply means, “with the text,” so the context of something is the text that is written with what you are studying. For example, who can tell me what a trunk is? The only way to accurately define the word “trunk” is to know the context because I could be talking about the trunk of a car, a piece of luggage, an elephant’s snout, the stem of a tree, or even shorts used for swimming. If I told you the story of driving down a road in Africa when a trunk appeared outside of the car window while driving next to a group of elephants, you would know I was talking about an elephant’s trunk.
Second, when you begin with observation, you will always start by observing the obvious. Think of putting together a puzzle. Where do you always start? With the obvious pieces. You will likely find the corner pieces first as they have two straight edges. Then you will put the other outer pieces on because they all have one straight edge. Once you have done that, you have framed the puzzle. When observing scripture, follow the same principle. Observe the obvious and frame the passage.
Let’s continue reading in Philemon. Last week we focused on context and did a lot of observation. Today, let’s read through the passage slowly, asking questions along the way. For today, wright them down as we go. These questions will drive your further studies. We are also going to pray for God to speak to us and show us how this passage applies to us.
God open our hearts this morning to what you are showing us.
Last week we read to verse 11, so let’s continue and see what Paul says in verse 12…
12 I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart. 13 I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf. 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced. 15 It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever. 16 He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
Maybe this is speaking to you, so you would stop and ask questions and dig a little deeper. If it is not, just keep reading. This isn’t saying much to me yet, don’t be worried just keep reading. Paul continues…
18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.
Okay, hold up right here for a second. This is big! Paul says, “Charge it to me. I’ll pay a debt that I don’t even owe.” That reminds me of a few stories in scripture about debt. Remember the story of the good Samaritan? He sees a man beaten and left half dead by the road, so he picks the up, bandages him, puts him on a donkey, takes him to an inn, and pays the bill. Then he says, “If he owes anything else, I’ll come back and pay it. Charge it to me.”
Your bible might even give you cross references to other stories. Maybe this story just puts a word in your head, like “debt” so you do a little side study on debt. Maybe the side study becomes the big study. Maybe that is what God wanted you to get around to studying. It’s not that you were even supposed to study Philemon to begin with, but He got you to where you were supposed to go. For now let’s keep reading…
19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self.
Now Paul is connecting this debt with the debt that we can’t repay. This is starting to sound a lot like the Gospel. This is starting to sound a lot like what Jesus did for us. Your bible might have some cross references listed in footnotes or in the middle column of the page. If you are using an app, it will probably have some links that you can click on. Mine referenced Genesis 43:9. If you do a little contextual reading around that verse you will see that you are reading a small part of a big story about a guy named Joseph.
You may remember this story. Joseph’s brothers were mad at him so they threw him into a pit and wanted to kill him, but fortunately they sold him into slavery instead. Through a series of crazy events, Joseph ends up becoming the Pharaoh’s right-hand man. In this position he was set in charge of everything. After a famine hit the land, Joseph’s brothers had to go to the Pharaoh to get food. They didn’t recognize Joseph, but Joseph recognized them. He used this as an opportunity to put them through some mental and emotional torture until he finally reveals who he is and brings the family to Egypt.
At one point, while the brothers still do not know who he is, Joseph has them bring their youngest brother to him. Their father does not want to risk losing another son, especially the youngest, so he is addiment about not letting the youngest go to Egypt. That’s when one of the brothers says the referenced quote. He says, Genesis 43:9 “9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.”
Reading this cross-referenced passage adds a lot of meaning to taking on someone’s debt, or at least how it is viewed in scripture. Paul is willing to take on whatever blame, whatever sin, whatever debt that Onesimus has incurred with Philemon. That is exactly what Jesus did. The debt we owed, Jesus paid. Whatever we needed, He provided.
This amazing Bible that we have access to is so powerful. God’s Word is so life changing. It’s powerful because it’s not about me. It’s about God’s love for the world and His redemptive plan through Jesus. It’s life-changing because it’s not written about me. It’s written to me and to you. So that we may be transformed by it and become helpful, like Onesimus. Onesimus was useless before, now he is useful.
A. W. Tozer once said, “None of us can really tell how weak and useless we are until God has exposed us—and no one wants to be exposed!
How is this passage exposing you? What is God trying to show you? In Philemon, which person do you relate to the most?
Paul - Who is taking a risk on someone.
Onesimus - Who needs forgiveness.
Philemon - Who’s being called to forgive.
How do the observations and meaning of this passage apply to you? What is God trying to show you this week?
I’ll leave you with something Kay Arthur said in her book, “How to Study Your Bible.”
Ultimately, the goal of personal Bible study is a transformed life and a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ.
Kay Arthur
Pray
