HOW TO
How To Read Your Bible
Psalm 119:15, 18, 33-34
“Have you NOT read” Matt. 12:3
“Have YOU not READ in the law”Matt. 12:5
“Have you NOT read” Matt.19:4
“Have YOU NEVER read” Matt. 21:16
“Did YOU NEVER read” Matt. 21:42
“Have YOU NOT READ that which was SPOKEN unto you by God” Matt. 22:31
“Have you NEVER read” Mark 2:25
“Have YOU NOT READ THIS SCRIPTURE” Mark 12:10
“Have you NOT READ in the BOOK of Moses” Mark 12:26
“Have you NOT READ so much as this” Luke 6:3
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” Matthew 22:29
Pastors, including me, can be notorious for telling people what they should be doing but guilty of failing to teach you how to do it.
My desire is to preach some simple “how to” messages on the Christian life. I want to begin with a message on How To Read Your Bible.
This of course presupposes that you read your Bible.
If we are to read our Bible, and we are, how are we to do it?
The Holy Spirit commands us to study the Bible(2 Timothy 2:15). It is unreasonable that God would command us to do something and not tell us how to do it!
I.COMMENCE YOURBIBLE READING PRAYERFULLY
As you read your Bible, always begin with prayer. The psalmist’s prayer is in Psalm 119:18. As you pray, ask God to help us understand what you are reading.
The reason we must approach our Bible reading prayerfully is because of
A. The Bible and its INSPIRATION
Paul teaches us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” As a God breathed book, the Bible comes from God. It is not of human origin, although it was written by man. Man wasmerely the instrument by which God breathed out His Word.
As Peter put it in 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
B.The Bible and its interpretation
The Bible is a supernatural book and can be understood only by supernatural aid.
The apostle Paul said it like this, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Since God is the author of the Bible, only God can give us understanding of the Bible. He must open our eyes if we are to behold wondrous things in the Bible. God does this through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus promised in John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
A divinely inspired book must be a divinely interpreted book. That’s why we must begin with prayer to God to open our spiritual eyes of understanding.
II. CONTINUE YOUR BIBLE READING THOUGHTFULLY
Psalm 119:15
When the psalmist stated that he would mediate on the Word of God, he was saying that he was going to think about what he read.
Joshua 1:8
Once we have asked God to open our eyes to understand His Word, then we must thoughtfully read His Word and mediate upon it.
The difference between the Bible and all other books is that all other books were written for our information. The Bible was written for our transformation.
Let me give you some things that I think will help you read your Bible more thoughtfully. First, when you read the Bible ask yourself . . .
A.Is There a Promise toPossess?
The Bible is full of promises that God has made toHis children. There are promises of wisdom, comfort, guidance, supply, strength, courage, assistance and on and on.
B.Is There a Precept to Practice?
The Psalmist spoke of God’s “precepts.”
The word “precepts” speaks of a mandate or command. The Psalmist was describing how he thoughtfully considered the commands God had given to him in His Word.
When we read the Bible we should ask ourselves, “Is there something here that God is telling me to do?Does it speak of some sin I should confess? Does it tell me how I should live as a Christian?”
2 Timothy 3:16 -(what’s right, what’s not right, how to get right, and how to stay right).
CIs there a Prayer to Pursue?
Does what I read challenge me to seek something from God!
III.CONCLUDE YOUR BIBLE READINGHEEDFULLY
Psalm 119:33-34
Psalm 119:60 “I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.”
Our obedience to what we read in God’s Word will guarantee a . . .
A.Guarded Christian Life
Psalm 119:9, 11
As we live in God’s Word and God’s Word lives in us, it will strengthen us and build up the spiritual defenses in our heart to protect us from the tempting influences of the world around us.
The “thou-shalt-nots” of the Bible are there for our protection.
Psalm 119:104
This BOOK will KEEP YOU from sin, or SIN WILL keep YOU from THIS BOOK!
B.Guided Christian Life
Psalm 119:105
The lamp and light of God’s Word will guide us into the right paths.
When we completely guide our life by the Bible we will preface every decision with the question, “What does the Bible say about this?” It become more than a book that lays in the back seat of the car, or sits on the coffee table, or that we carry to Church on Sunday. It becomes the guide that influences our every act and action.
When we guard and guide our life by the Bible it will turn our reading into a cause. It gives Bible reading a purpose. It turns it into a time when we let God speak to us. And that is the reason we should, and must, read our Bible.
Conclusion
Set you a goal to read the Bible every day of your life. Don’t let anything keep you from reading your Bible. And when you read your Bible, commence your Bible reading prayerfully, continue your Bible reading thoughtfully, and conclude your Bible reading heedfully.
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