Resolutions That Stick: Bible Study

New Year's Day symbolizes new beginnings, second chances. It's an opportunity to make new, different, better choices for your life. It's viewed as a time for people to improve themselves, to make a "resolution" to get healthy, to stay healthy, to be a different person, to make changes.

The problem is that the changes which we make are superficial and tend to focus on our flesh - our desire to live a better life, to be more healthy - nothing wrong with these resolutions, but let's be honest…they seldom last passed March!

What if instead of focusing on personal goals, we instead focused on spiritual goals?

What if instead of trying to become more physically fit, we became more spiritually fit?

They say there is strength in numbers, that means that we have a better chance of making lasting decisions if we work together. Therefore, over the next few weeks I want to focus on 5 areas we can all stand to grow in this coming year.

Today's message is Bible study.

Proposition: I am convinced that it is the will of God for everyone in this building to have a desire to become a better student of the Word of God in 2022.

Interrogative: How can we as a body of believers become better students of the Word?

TS: Two questions come to my mind regarding Bible study: Why and how. Lets’ look first at the

“Why study the Bible?”

To be obedient to God

2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Study – the word means to be diligent, to labor over to endeavor

This is not some meaningless task, it takes hard work

Alexander Maclaren, one of the greatest expositors of Scripture used to spend an hour each day reading the OT in the original Hebrew, and an hour reading the NT in the original Greek.

Before he would enter his study to read the Word and prepare his sermons he would take off his slippers and put on thick heavy work boots to remind him of the hard work of Bible study.

The word approved means acceptable to God.

God expects us to be obedient to Him and how can we do this?

By becoming students of His Word!

To be well fed

Job 23:12 “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”

1 peter 2.2-3 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

Whether its livestock or the family pet, you know that they must be fed in order to survive.

Let’s suppose that you hire someone to feed your livestock on the weekends

Would you say, “that’s enough food to last them all week”?

NO! You would see to it they were fed seven days a week!

As your pastor it is my duty to feed you from the word, but here’s the best part: you can feast on it all week long!

Here is another reason “why”...

To defend against temptation

Matthew 4:1-11 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give …”

Psalm 119.105 “ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.”

1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

In these verses we see our ammunition in the battle against sin!

Jesus in Matthew did not use His power as God to defeat Satan

He used the Word of God!

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and it has only one subject: The Word of God

In verse 105 the psalmist tells us one of the many purposes of the Word is to be a lamp and a light for our path

This is important symbolism!

The feet and path demonstrate this life on earth

We live in a sin-darkened world, and it would be foolish to attempt to walk around without a light

That is one of the key purposes of the Bible, to be our guiding light in this dark world!

Imagine being lost in the dark and not knowing which way to go, all the while having the world’ s most powerful flashlight right at your reach.

One of the great purposes of the Word is to help us avoid sin Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.”

Susanna Wesley wrote these words in the flyleaf of her son’s Bible “Sin will keep you from this book. This book will keep you from sin.”

To be ready for opportunities to evangelize

Romans 10:14-15 “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

1 Peter 3.15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

Ephesians 6.15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

I believe it was David Gibbs who coined the phrase: Soul patrol.

The Bible is clear, we are to be on “soul patrol” everywhere we go. The last words Jesus gave to His disciples regarding His church was to “Go to all nations, teaching, baptizing and making disciples.” I am going to devote an entire message to the subject of personal evangelism, but for now suffice to say, You cannot be an effective witness for Jesus Christ if you are not in the Word.

This leads us to our second, perhaps more difficult question:

“How do I begin?”

Here are three practical steps to have a more fulfilling personal study in the Word:

Have a plan.

Someone has rightly said: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Whether its reading your Bible through in a year or if its devouring one section of Scripture, make a plan and stick to it.

Keep a journal.

This can be as simple as a wire-bound notebook, or as complex and organized as a 3-ring binder with dividers by subject etc.

In this you'll take notes of different subjects which jump out at you. I recommend the following acronym to keep you on track. When studying, the Bible be sure to wear your SPECS and look for:

Sins to avoid

Promises to claim

Examples to follow

Commands to Obey

Scriptures to memorize

Finally: pray about it. Why not ask God exactly what it is He wants you to study and learn from His Word, it is His Word after all!

Maybe there’s a single area God wants you to grow in this year: ask Him.

Maybe there’s a subject God wants you to study: ask Him.

Maybe you simply have never had a plan for Bible study before and you need some guidance in starting one: Ask Him.

Conclusion: Can I let you in on a little secret?

Having a plan for Bible study is not something you need to spend a great deal of time in praying to God to see if this is His will for your life: it is His will for your life!

We’ve looked at the why, and we’ve discussed the how, now the most important step is up to you: When.

Why not today?

More than anything, I want to see our church grow in the coming year, but I want you to understand there is more than one type of growth.

The first type of growth everyone considers the benchmark of “success” is numeric growth

The second, however, is often sacrificed for the firs, but is perhaps more important is personal spiritual growth

I believe God is going to do something great at PCCC this year, and I believe it is going to start right here with those of us present. God honors the faithfulness and obedience of His children. Church, if we are to see our church grow numerically, then we must promise to commit ourselves to growth as individuals first and trust God to increase our numbers.

Let me ask you a personal question as we bring the message to a close. What is the most important thing about Jesus Christ to you? Do you know Him as your Savior? Or, more importantly, do others know you know Him? Do you have a relationship with Him? If not, then why not start one today?