How to Study the Bible

Introduction

Greet everyone and do introductions for the group introducing self and giving a bit of testimony.

ASK: Who has ever had issues reading the bible? If so what are they?

Share: Own experience when it comes to reading the word

We all come to the bible with expectations and assumptions.

Some of mine I dont even know yet but some of my early ones were rather comical as I look back at them.

When I came to the bible I thought it was all about Jesus, Satan and a bunch of fighting Archangels along with rules upon rules.

So I was rather surprised to find when I opened up the bible to not see Jesus in the first book…or even in the first 2/3s of the bible.

Then when you do read about Jesus, its only in like 4 books then gone and the rest is just about Him or talking to other people about how to do church. It was all rather overwhelming.

I was blessed to come to the Lord and be adopted into a church that had many strong leaders. For myself, strong men of many different backgrounds to help guide me.

I have been a Christian now for 17 years, I was baptised on 20/1/2005 and I was converted 12/9/2004. So officially now I have been a Christian longer than I haven’t been. During that time the Lord has driven me in a very interesting path, but in all of those paths I can see that when I have been in the Word as a routine and commitment, that has always gone hand in hand with the best most stable times in my life. When I have let my discipleship slip, this is when sin has crept in and started running rampant.

During this journey I have found that I have a love

Learning Objectives

Today I want to take the time to preface what we are going to be undertaking and also get an idea for where we are all at.

My goal is to help people be able to build bible study and bible reading into their daily habits. First we have to ask some questions:

Why read and study the bible?

How do we read and study the bible?

There are some scriptures I want to take a look at tonight. Ps.1.1-3 and Lk6.45

Psalm1.1-3

Ps1.1-3 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked; nor does he stand in the way of sinners; nor does he sit in the assembly of mockers. Instead, in the law of Yahweh is his delight, and on his law he meditates day and night. And so, he is like a tree planted by streams of water that gives its fruit in its season; its leaf also does not wither. Therefore all that he does prospers.”

Luke6.45

Lk6.45 “The good person out of the good treasury of his heart brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Heart—According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. “Heart” and “soul” are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33), but this is not generally the case.

The heart is the “home of the personal life,” and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps. 24:4; Matt. 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Gen. 20:5, 6; Ps. 11:2; 78:72), pious and good (Luke 8:15), etc. In these and such passages the word “soul” could not be substituted for “heart.”

The heart is also the seat of the conscience (Rom. 2:15). It is naturally wicked (Gen. 8:21), and hence it contaminates the whole life and character (Matt. 12:34; 15:18; comp. Eccl. 8:11; Ps. 73:7). Hence the heart must be changed, regenerated (Ezek. 36:26; 11:19; Ps. 51:10–14), before a man can willingly obey God.

Big picture application

Key Takeaways

Summary