Why The Child Of God Should Study The Word Of God?

May.29.02: Light For The Day - "Why The Child Of God Should Study The Word Of God?" At first glance it would seem totally unnecessary to discuss reasons for studying God's Word. One might assume that, upon conversion, the most natural thing for a new believer to do would be to begin a lifelong study of that Book which originally brought him to Christ. But personal observation, as well as church history, proves the facts to be quite the opposite. The truth is, most Christians know very little about the Bible! Here then are some sound reasons for studying the Scriptures. ------------------------------- I.Because of its Author. ------------------------------- God has written a book, and that profound and priceless book is the Bible. As testified to by any human author, the nicest thing one can say to an author is, "Oh, yes, I've read your book." It is a tragic but true fact that many of the Christians who will someday (along with all believers) stand before the judgment seat of Christ will be sadly forced to admit that, while they were saved by heeding the salvation message in God's Book, they nevertheless failed to take the time to read it. Thus, if for no other reason, the Bible should be carefully read to allow the believer to proclaim to Christ on that day: "Dear Jesus, there were many things I did not do on earth that I should have done, as well as other things I did do that I should not have, but one thing I did-I read your book!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ II.Because of the often-repeated command to read it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Josh. 1:8). "2 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15). "4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Mt. 4:4). Especially to be noted is this last verse. Jesus said every word. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- III.Because the Bible is God's chosen way to accomplish His divine will. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Sinners are saved through the message of the Bible. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Rom. 10:13-17). "14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. (Acts 2:14). .......... When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37)." "4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city. " (Acts 8:4-8). "23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Pet. 1:23). "18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. " (Jas. 1:18). B.Saints are sanctified through the message of the Bible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (Jn. 17:17)." "2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation"(1 Pet. 2:2). "3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." (1 Thess. 4:3). 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Ps. 119:9-11). 5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6 Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar. (Prov. 30:5, 6). 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (Jonh 15:7). 32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. (Acts 20:32). ------------------------------------------------------------ IV. Because our enemy the devil has read it. ------------------------------------------------------------ During the account in Matthew 4, Christ is tempted three times by the devil. On each occasion the Savior answered Satan with the phrase, "It is written," and then proceeded to quote from the Word of God as found in the book of Deuteronomy. But what is almost always overlooked is the fact that the phrase "it is written" is repeated four times in Matthew 4, and that the fourth time it is the devil using it to quote Scripture to Christ! Note the background at this point. "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.'" (Mt. 4:5-7). Here Satan quotes from Psalm 91:11, 12. It is taken completely out of context, to be sure, but how did Satan know about it in the first place? The answer is painfully obvious. One day when the devil had nothing better to do, he must have sat down and studied Psalm 91. Many Christians today have probably never even read this Psalm, but the devil apparently has it memorized! Thus, we need to read God's Word lest Satan get an advantage upon us. ------------------------------------------------ V. Because of the example of Paul. ------------------------------------------------ Paul was probably the greatest Christian that ever lived. His spiritual accomplishments are nothing short of staggering. Here was a man who made the first three missionary journeys, who founded and pastored the first fifty or more Bible-believing churches, who wrote over half of the New Testament, and who on five occasions saw the resurrected Christ, and at least once was actually caught up into the third heaven itself! But then he was arrested, condemned to death, and placed in prison. Note carefully his final words to Timothy just prior to his execution. "6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 13 When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers. {Greek especially the parchments.} (2 Tim. 4:6-8, 13)." What were these parchments? They were his copies of the Old Testament scrolls. The point to be made here is that in spite of all his marvelous achievements, the old apostle still felt he could profit from studying the Word of God on the eve of his death. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. Because the Bible alone provides answers to life's three sixty-four-trillion-dollar questions. These questions, pondered by every generation, are: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Where did I come from? ------------------------------------- 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Gen. 1:26, 27). 3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. (Ps. 100:3). B. Why am I here? -------------------------- 13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Eccl. 12:13). 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (Rev. 4:11). C. Where am I going? ----------------------------- 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. (Jn. 3:16-18). 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Ps. 23:1, 6). 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:15). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VII. Because we'll never have the opportunity to apply many of its verses after we leave this earth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. There will be no opportunity to apply 1 Corinthians 10:13 in heaven. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (1 Cor. 10:13). Reason: In heaven there will be no temptation. B. There will be no opportunity to apply 1 John 1:9 in heaven. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn. 1:9). Reason: In heaven there will be no sin. C. There will be no opportunity to apply Philippians 4:19 in heaven. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19). Reason: In heaven there will be no need. D. There will be no opportunity to apply John 14:1-3 in heaven. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (Jn. 14:1-3). Reason: In heaven there will be no sorrow. E. There will be no opportunity to apply Psalm 23:4 in heaven. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Ps. 23:4). Reason: In heaven there will be no death. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII. Because the only ultimate proof for our faith is the Bible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To introduce the eighth and final reason for studying God's Word, the following imaginary situation is proposed. Often the unbeliever hurls the following accusation at the believer: "Oh, you Christians -- you're all alike! You're so dogmatic. You think you alone are right and everybody else is dead wrong. How can you possibly be so sure what you believe is true?" This question, though often asked in a scoffing manner, is nevertheless a fair one. How does the child of God know his faith is the only correct one? Let us suppose that you are invited to an important social function in your hometown. Attending this gathering are people from all over the world. As the introductions are being made, it slowly dawns upon you that the only professing Christian there is yourself. You are subsequently introduced to a Buddhist, a Confucianist, a Shintoist, a Moslem, and other individuals, all belonging to various non-Christian religions. After a pleasant dinner, the conversation gradually turns to matters of religion. Your hostess, realizing this subject to be of general interest, suddenly announces: "I have a wonderful idea! Since everyone here seems to have a great interest in religion, may I suggest that we share with one another by doing the following: Each person will be allowed to speak uninterrupted for ten minutes on the subject, 'Why I feel my faith is the right one.'"The group quickly agrees with this unique and provocative idea. Then with no warning she suddenly turns to you and exclaims, "You go first!" All talk immediately ceases. Every eye is fixed on you. Every ear is turned to pick up your first words. What would you say? How would you start? Let us quickly list a few arguments which you could not use. 1. You couldn't say, "I know I'm right because I feel I'm right! Christ lives in my heart!" This, of course, is a wonderful truth experienced by all believers, but it would not convince the Buddhist, who would doubtless feel that he was right too. 2. You couldn't say, "I know I'm right because Christianity has more followers in this world than any other religion." This is simply not true today. Actually, the sad truth is that evangelical Bible-believing Christianity is a distinct minority in the world today. The Moslem would doubtless quickly point this out to you. 3. You couldn't say. "I know I'm right because Christianity is the oldest of all religions. Ultimately, of course, this is true. But the Confucianist might contend that Confucius presented his teachings centuries before the Bethlehem scene. Of course, he would not understand the eternal existence of our Lord Jesus Christ. These then are arguments you could not use. What could you say? In reality you would have at your disposal only one single argument. But that argument, that weapon, used in the right way, would be more than enough to overwhelmingly convince any honest and sincere listener at that social gathering. That wonderful weapon, that unanswerable argument, is one's own personal copy of the Bible! What could you say? Well, you could hold up your Bible and confidently proclaim the following: "Look at this! I know I'm right because the Author of my faith has given me a Book which is completely unlike any of the books of your faiths." You could then continue (until your time ran out) by pointing out the unity, the indestructibility, and the universal influence of the Bible. You could discuss its historical, scientific, and prophetical accuracy. Finally, you might relate exciting examples of perhaps the greatest single proof of the supernatural nature of the Bible, that is, its marvelous life-transforming power! Of course, it must be pointed out that neither the Word of God nor the God of the Word can be scientifically analyzed in a laboratory test tube. The divine Creator still desires and demands faith on the part of his Creation. (See Heb. 11:1-6.) But He has presented us with a heavenly textbook to aid us in this needed faith. In fact, the Gospel of John was specifically written " But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (Jn. 20:31). ---------------------------------------------------------------- ++ From the Willmington's Guide To The Bible ++ ----------------------------------------------------------------