What do we Bring to Personal Bible Study?

What do we Bring to Personal Bible Study?
December 29, 2024
Speaker:
Passage: 2 Timothy 4:13
Service Type:

This morning, I'd like for us to look at, What do we bring to personal Bible study? What do we bring to personal Bible study? We need to understand that the importance of personal Bible study really cannot be over emphasized. We can't emphasize it enough as it is. The only way that the church in the general sense is going to grow is if you and I as individuals grow. And then the church will also grow as a result of that.

There are certain things that we glean about this Christian life that we can only understand through study. One of those being ready to give an answer.

Understanding the importance of private Bible study cannot be overemphasized. The only way the Church will grow, collectively, is for Christians to grow individually. Growth for the individual Christian comes primarily through the avenue of Personal Bible Study.

Expectations of Personal Bible Study:

There are certain things that we glean about this Christian life that we can only understand through study. One of those being ready to give an answer.

  • Ready to give an answer: 1 Peter 3:15
  • See the Value of Personal Study: 2 Peter 1:12-15
  • What we Bring: John 6:45
  • The realization that there are lost souls: John 4:35

The ability to fend off the temptations of the devil the realization that there are lost souls. There's other things like the value of personal Bible study. We don't necessarily get that from everywhere else, but it is something for us to consider. And then, some things that we bring to the picture.

This lesson is not about evangelism. This, personal Bible study, is the prerequisite to evangelism. IF we are not studying the Bible, we cannot bring others to Christ. It is not good enough to recite Biblical accounts from memory. We must study the Word to develop our conviction that Jesus is the only Lord and Savior, and the Bible is the only way to learn about Him.

The Need For Personal Bible Study

First of all, let's ask the question or talk about this statement is there a need for personal Bible study? I think the obvious answer is yes, but what exactly is that need? How do we understand that from the Bible? First of all, and something that we've talked about before, is that God wants and expects, even commands us to grow.

God Wants us to Grow!

We are to Grow in Knowledge

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” — 1 Peter 2:2

Without the proper desire, growth will not happen!

  • 2 Peter 1:5

The same Greek word is translated different ways in our English language. One of those is, how Paul refers to his longing to go to Rome.

  • Romans 1:11

He longs to go there. He has great desire. And just as the babe desires the nourishment from its mother, is the kind of desire, the urgency, of that need being fulfilled that we should have toward the Word of God.

  • 2 Peter 1:5

The Christian graces, as we commonly call them, go through verse eight, from verse five through verse eight, and there are things that we need to add to our faith. And there are things that we cannot continue to add in part if we haven't accomplished that particular step.

So first of all, we have to have faith in God. We have to have come out of the world into His kingdom. And then once we have faith in God, we need to what we need to add to our faith virtue. And then to our virtue, we need to add knowledge.

  • 2 Peter 3:18

There's a need for us to be growing in our personal Bible study because God wants us to grow.

We Must be Prepared to Defend the Faith

God wants us to grow so that we can defend the faith.

I don't have to stand up and, and make a defense for the faith to prove that the Bible is from God. The Bible can stand on its own two legs if, as we commonly refer to ourselves, it can stand up for itself. But we do defend it, we're called to defend it.

  • 1 Peter 3:15-17

Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. What are we supposed to do? We're supposed to set a particular spot in our hearts aside for God. We've talked about this word sanctified before. It's the idea of setting aside. It's the idea of being different, set apart.

We're to set apart a place in our hearts specifically for God. Why was this important to them? Because they were suffering for being Christians. 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, having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

For it is better if the will of God be so that you suffer for well doing than for evil doing. We need to understand why we're supposed to sanctify God in our hearts. We're to understand that it's okay for us to be persecuted. Not okay as inacceptable, but it is okay for us to be persecuted for setting a particular place in our heart for God.

Understanding why, explaining it to others, knowing that we are going to be persecuted for that sanctification of God. In our hearts. And God would much rather that we suffer for doing right. Then suffer because we've done wrong. In this particular case, the wrong is denying our faith in God. The wrong here is, is not sanctifying a place in your heart, not setting aside a place in your heart for God.

  • 1 Timothy 4:13,15-16

Paul tells Timothy that he needs to pay particular attention to his reading and doctrine. Continue in them and he needs to be grounded in them.

He needs to, as it says in verse 15, give himself wholly or completely to those things because he'll be able to save himself and those that hear him. Not because he's earned his salvation, but because he's done acceptably what God has wanted him to do, in the reading and the studying and the growing.

We need to be ready to defend. We need to be ready to give an answer for the faith that we have in Jesus.

To Gain God’s Approval!

We also grow, need to have personal study in our lives because it's how we get closer to God. We gain God's approval, if you will, by growing through gaining knowledge, we gain God’s approval.

  • Hebrews 11:6
  • 2 Timothy 2:15

We need to know what's in the Bible. We need to know how to apply it to us. We need to understand what applies to us and what doesn't apply to us because there's some things that our denominational friends try to apply to us today that have no business being taught today as applicable to you and I. We need to know these things. And if we don't know these things, then we will be the ones whose hearts are turned away from the truth because of our lack of knowledge.

We need to be about personal Bible study because we gain God's approval through it.

Value of Personal Study

Secondly, I want us to consider for a few moments the value of personal Bible study. What is the value of personal Bible study? I think this might be an area where we tend to ask ourselves this question and we don't really like all the answers that come from it because we make don't make very good answers for it. Hopefully this morning, we'll make some good answers for the value of personal Bible study.

Reminded of God’s Will

First of all Peter says it puts us in remembrance of God's will. It reminds us of what God's will is for us.

  • 2 Peter 1:12-15

What things is he talking about? Remember those Christian graces that we mentioned a few moments ago? That's in 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 5 through 8. He readily admits the people that he's writing to already knows what it is they're supposed to do to grow in their faith toward God, to be the Christians that God wants them to be. He's simply putting them in remembrance, reminding them of what God's will is for them. Why? Because there's going to come a time very shortly, Peter says, where he's not going to be able.

Jesus foretold, at least Peter, in one particular passage, we believe, how it is that he was going to die, which is the reference that he makes allusion to here in verse 14.

  • John 21

You go back to John chapter 21, and Jesus gives him an inkling, into how he's going to die. Secular tradition kind of fills in a little bit of the gaps for us.  Secular tradition tells us that, that Peter was crucified. But Peter didn't want to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord. He didn't deem himself worthy to be crucified like Jesus was. Tradition says he requested to be crucified upside down. Who are the Romans to argue with somebody's request on how they're going to die? We don't know if that's actually the way that it happened or not.

But, Peter affirms to us that Jesus told him how he was going to die. There was going to come a time when he was not going to be able to put them in remembrance any longer, but he wanted to now, while he had the opportunity.

Benefits of Personal Study

So what is it that studying the Word of God reminds us of? Well, first of all, we could notice that it reminds us of God's love.

Scripture Reminds Us Of God’s Love

  • 1 John 4:9
  • John 3:16

The pages, not only of our New Testament, but all of the Old Testament give us an idea of God's love for mankind from the very beginning of creation.

Understanding that man was going to need a Savior because God gave us the ability to choose whether we do right or whether we do wrong. And when we do wrong, it separates us from Him. And the only way we were going to get back to a right relationship with God is if there was a Savior for us.

That thought process, in and of itself, even without going through all the Old Testament history, it's a thought process of love for the creature that He created, wanting them, which is you and me, to be right with our Creator. But not only does Scripture remind us of the love of God, it reminds us of God's precious promises.

Scripture Reminds Us of God’s Precious Promises

  • Titus 1:2

Time does not, uh, give us an opportunity to really go deeper into this idea of the great and precious promises, that are given to us in the word of God, not only about our life here on earth, but also in the life to come, for those that are right with God.

There are many promises and they are great and numerous promises. And precious in our sight because God gave them for our benefit. And it also, excuse me, helps remind us of his love.

Scripture Reminds Us of Our Duty to God and Man

Another area where scripture reminds us, it reminds us of our duty to both God and man.

  • 1 Timothy 4:6

[This is] very similar to what he would remind Timothy to do. Toward the end of that particular chapter. So when we spend time studying the word of God, when we spend time learning from the word of God, we are reminded of various things.

The love of God, the promises of God, and then also our duty to both God and man. It was said of Jesus in Luke chapter two that he grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man, the same things that we ought to be doing in our lives today.

Scripture Reminds Us to be Motivated to do Good Works

The value of personal Bible study should motivate us to do good works.

  •  Galatians 6:10

We need to make sure that we are doing good to others, for others, because of what Jesus has done for us and not limit it to our friends and family, but be taking in those that we have the ability to care for.

  • Titus 2:14

We ought to be a people that are set aside the idea of peculiar being sanctified by God, God set aside by God for a specific purpose, number one, for salvation. We're set aside for salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ. We've been talking about that in our Bible classes here in the adult class the last few weeks from First Peter. We should be zealous of good works, looking to do good works at every opportunity that we have.

We need to be reminded sometimes, though it's unfortunate that this might be the case, God is never going to condemn us for doing good. God's never going to condemn us for doing what is right.

When it's convenient, it's easy to do what's right. Sometimes when it's not convenient, Well, if I can just get through right now, I'll do what's right, but, I'll do good to others later. God wants us to be zealous of good works now, regardless of what we're going through in our lives.

What do we Bring to Personal Study?

1) We Should Bring a Humble Heart to Personal Bible Study

First of all, what we ought to bring is a humble heart. You and I need to bring a humble heart. Understanding when we approach the Word of God, it's not because we have all the answers. It's not because when we read and study the Word of God, we're then going to have all of the answers. We might think that sometimes.

That's not always going to be the case. But what we want to do is we want to receive instructions with a humble heart.

  • James 1:25

We need to look into God's word and then we need to look into God's word and then we need to look into God's word and never stop looking into God's word because that's how we change who we are.

It's through constantly going back to the word and figuring out what we have done right in our lives and then what we still need to work on in our lives. And we all have areas that we need to work on.

  • John 6:45

We have to have instruction before we can choose to be a part of God's kingdom. And then once we are in God's kingdom, we need more instruction on how to remain faithful in God's kingdom. Looking to the Bible to justify our own actions, our own thoughts, is not evidence of a humble heart.

Now, there are many who have gone to the Bible for that specific purpose to prove what they already thought to be true, and with an honest heart, have then understood that what they believed and what they were doing was wrong and changed. But unfortunately, there's also many that approach the Word of God, the studying of the Word of God, with arrogance and says, I'm going to prove that what I'm doing is right, but when they don't read that, they're like, I'm still going to do what I want. That's not approaching God's Word with a humble heart.

2) We Should Bring the Attitude of a Student to Personal Bible Study

We need to have the mind, the mindset, if you will, of a student, of a student.

  • James 1:19-22
  • John 1:35-42

The very next day, his disciples are with him, John's disciples are with him, and he once again says, "Behold the Lamb of God." And then two of them leave John and they start following after Jesus. That gets to where we just read in verse 38, Jesus sees these two behind him, turns to address him and is like, what do you want? They called him Master. They wanted to know where he stayed. We've talked about this idea before. The idea of apprenticeship in the first century meant you left where you lived, you left your home, and you went and lived with the one that you were learning from.

Well these two, at least on this one particular occasion, stayed with Jesus. They said it was the tenth hour, and what do we find as a result of that? Andrew goes and he gets Peter. And he says, we have found the Messiah that we've been looking for. We found him. They had the mindset of a student. They wanted to learn. They wanted to understand from Jesus.

I would dare say that each of us have had instructors or teachers along the way, that we could sit at their feet for hours on end listening to what they were teaching. Whether it was the way they taught, or the, I don't know, could be the, the sweetness of their voice, you never know. Maybe you got a real good nap out of it, so you wanted to go to that class all the time. There are some that I would, I would much rather sit and listen to, than be up here, presenting a lesson, because I'd rather somebody else be doing it, so I could listen, and, and learn from them. They wanted to hear from Jesus.

And we should be approaching the Word of God as students because we want to learn what God has to say for us.

3) We Should Bring the Obedience of a Disciple

We also should have the obedience of a disciple. When we come to the Word of God.

  • James 1:19-22

When we do that, we're going to read differently, we're going to look into the Word of God differently, we're going to live differently, because we understa

As we go into this new year, maybe we can consider how we've been in personal Bible study this year and look to do better, encourage ourselves to do more personal Bible study in the year to come.

Maybe you're one who is not a member of the body of Christ, nothing would please us more, nothing would please God more, than a heart that is set on being right with God to acknowledge your understanding that Jesus Christ is your Savior. Hearing the Word of God tells us that.

Hearing the Word of God helps us to understand that this life is not all that there is. There is another life for after we die physically. It's the life that we need to prepare for. It's the life that we just can't mentally understand is there and not try to attain to a certain level. B

y that I mean there's one of two places where we can end up when we die. One takes work, the other takes no work at all. We can work to be right with God and Heaven will be our eternal reward. Or we can do nothing. And hell will be where we spend eternity.

Maybe you're one who's already a member of the body of Christ, but you haven't worked to develop your spiritual life much at all, it's taken a backburner to work, family, school, anything else, that we want to put in in place of perfecting ourselves before God. Well right now is the time to renew yourself in God, dedicate yourself, convert yourself once again to do His will. And if we can assist you in any way, we encourage you to contact us so we can discuss with you what is God's will for your life.

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