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The Lessons
5:
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Lesson Five
- You and Your Bible |
Discipler's Notes |
How to Increase Your Knowledge
of God and His Word
A newborn infant's dominating desire is for his mother's milk. As a
Christian you should have an insatiable hunger for the Word of God. The
Bible is your spiritual food, and knowing it is essential for spiritual
growth and strength. How well do you know your Bible? Better yet, how well
do you know your God? The purpose of studying the Bible, God's complete
revelation of Himself, should be to know God so that you can be more like
Him. Before you begin this lesson, read II Peter 3:18. Study this lesson
carefully, for it will lead you to a healthy appreciation of, and approach
to, the Holy Bible, our spiritual milk and meat. |
Review last week's memory verse,
I Corinthians 6:19-20. Start the session with prayer, thanking God for His
Word. |
What is the Bible?
The Bible is the complete, authoritative revelation of the truth of God to
mankind. It is all that man needs to know about who God is, about who man
is, and about how man can be restored to fellowship with God.
1 What authority is to control man's life? (Matthew 4:4)
God's Word should be my
authority
2 John 17:17 says, "Thy word is
Truth
3 The Bible is complete. In Revelation 22:18-19 God promises great judgment
upon the person who shall
add unto God's Word and upon the person
who shall take away
from God's Word.
4 What four purposes for the Bible do the following passages reveal?
II Corinthians 3:18a
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed.
II Timothy 3:15 to make
thee wise unto salvation
II Timothy 3:17 that the
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works
James 1:23-25 so that we
may see ourselves as God sees us and change
5 The Bible describes itself in many terms. Match these comparisons to the
verses where they are found, and take a moment to consider how the Bible and
the object compare to each other.
C Fire
F Mirror
A Lamp
D Milk
I Meat
E, H Sword
G Seed
C Hammer
B Water
A. Psalm 119:105 F. James 1:23-24
B. Ephesians 5:26 G. I Peter 1:23
C. Jeremiah 23:29 H. Ephesians 6:17
D. I Peter 2:2 I. I Corinthians 3:2
E. Hebrews 4:12
6 How long will the Word of God last? (I Peter 1:23)
The Bible will abide forever. |
How familiar is your disciple with his Bible?
Take time to look at the index, chapter divisions, etc. The O.T. books are
arranged logically, not chronologically. The N.T. books arc arranged
primarily by subject matter.
Give the disciple a copy of the Bible Overview handout.
Read I Peter 2:2.
See also John 10:35.
A Christian acknowledges the authority of God's Word. Those who tamper with
God's Word reveal that they are unsaved.
See also Psalm 19:7 ("perfect" means complete) and Proverbs 30:5-6.
To behold the glory of the Lord shows the purpose of revealing what God is
like.
Let the disciple rehearse to you how the Bible was used to bring him to
Christ.
Fire - for purification
Mirror - for inspection
Lamp - for direction
Milk - for nutrition
Meat - for nutrition for the mature Sword - for spiritual "surgery"; for
spiritual battle
Seed - for producing life
Hammer - for breaking hard hearts Water - for cleansing |
How Did We Get the Bible?
The Bible uses the word inspiration to describe how we got our Bible.
Inspiration means God-breathed. Just as air is breathed out of living
creatures, so the words of Scripture flowed directly out of the living God.
Inspiration is the supernatural process by which God used men to write down
without error the exact words that God chose to communicate His truth to
mankind.
7 Who controlled the men who spoke and wrote the Scriptures? (II Peter 1:21)
God the Holy Spirit
controlled the Bible writers.
8 How much of the Bible is inspired? (II Timothy 3:16)
All of the Bible is
inspired.
Why Should We Study the Bible?
9 What is the most important reason God wrote the Bible? (John 20:31)
The Bible (specifically here the Gospel of John) was written so that we
might believe in Christ and be saved.
10 In II Timothy 3:16, find four ways in which the Bible is profitable:
for doctrine - teaching
what is right
for reproof - revealing what is not right
for correction - showing how to make it right
for instruction in righteousness - communicating how to keep it right
11 How do Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2-3 describe the life of a person who
meditates on and obeys the Bible?
The Christian who
medicates on God's Word will be spiritually prosperous.
12 How valuable is the Word of God? (Psalm 19:10)
The Bible is worth more
than gold! (see also Ps. 119:72)
How Should We Study the Bible?
13 How often should you meditate on the Bible? (Joshua 1:8)
I should meditate on God's
Word day and night.
14 What does it mean to meditate?
(See definition in Discipler's
Notes.)
15 Why should you memorize God's Word? (Psalm 119:11)
I should treasure His Word
in my heart so that I can avoid sin.
16 James 1:23-25 says that we must not be just a bearer (or reader) of the
Word but also a doer
of the Word and of the work.
17 Who must you depend upon to help you understand the meaning of Scripture?
(I Corinthians 2:12-16) I
must rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide me.
As you read a passage of Scripture, the following questions will assist you
in personally applying the truth of God:
Are there any commands I should obey?
Are there any promises I can claim?
Are there any sins I should forsake?
Are there any principles I should apply?
Are there any warnings I should heed?
Are there any examples I should follow?
MEMORIZE
Psalm 119:11 Thy Word have I hid in mine
heart, that I might not sin against thee. |
God used approximately forty different men to
write the Bible, yet it 'all agrees!
ALL the Bible is God's Word and is therefore completely authoritative. The
Bible does not contain God's Word; the Bible is God's Word.
Ask the disciple if inspiration is going on today. Definitely it is not. All
the New Testament writers were apostles or close associates of an apostle.
No one can meet that condition today. Remember the warning of Revelation
22:18-19.
Knowledge of and obedience to the Word of God guarantees spiritual success
in all avenues of life. Note that the law of the Lord is a de!ight!
To meditate means to ponder, to think upon repeatedly, to consider how
matters relate to each other. To meditate on Scripture means thinking long
enough to understand how it applies to the various aspects of life and
thinking often enough to remember to apply it.
Stress the importance of memorizing the verses each week.
This attitude of obedience is vital.
Doing the Word results in working!
Psalm 119:18 is a great prayer to pray before studying God's Word.
Give the disciple the pages that include interesting facts about the Bible,
a visual layout of the Bible, and a New Testament reading schedule. Help the
disciple begin a daily reading of the Bible (e.g., the schedule provided,
the Gospel ofJohn, a chapter a day in Proverbs, every thirtieth Psalm each
day 11,31,61,91,1211). |
ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES
The book Exploring the Scriptures by John Phillips provides helpful overviews
of each book of the Bible. A Ryrie StudB Bible is a great study tool for the
disciple.
Remind the disciple that "a Bible that's falling apart usually belongs to a
person who's not!"
Give the disciple Lesson 6. Make an appointment for your next session.
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