Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000045
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00:20 Good evening and welcome to Give Me The Bible
00:23 with Pastor Kenneth Cox. 00:25 Tonight's subject is a very 00:27 important one: it's How To Study Your Bible. 00:31 You know, I know that Pastor Cox knows how to study the Bible 00:35 because I've had the fortune of staying in his home 00:38 and even the fortune of sitting nearby when he was 00:41 working on a sermon. I've seen him study the Word of God, 00:46 and I will tell you, he's one of the most efficient 00:48 and organized human beings that I've ever known. 00:51 And you're going to learn something tonight. 00:54 So be sure that you sit by and watch this program 00:58 or you listen by radio and that you call a friend 01:01 and invite them to join in listening tonight as well. 01:06 By the way, some of you have asked about this entire series. 01:10 There are going to be sixty presentations 01:13 when it's all over: 12 months, 5 presentations each month. 01:18 Each of those 5 presentations are on a subject. 01:22 And these are available by DVD. 01:26 Now, these are large DVD sets 01:28 and they cannot be given away, you understand that. 01:31 But if you'd like to find out how you can secure one, 01:35 call 1-888-747-1844. 01:42 Now even I can remember that number! 01:44 So... and I'm not real good at remembering phone numbers... 01:47 but 1-888-747-1844. 01:52 Call that number. Talk to one of the operators 01:55 who are people just like you 01:58 and they will help you to find 02:01 out how you can secure this 02:03 and how you can use it as a tool 02:06 of witnessing to your friends and to your neighbors. 02:09 And especially some of the prophecy series. 02:12 This one is Five Have Fallen, 02:15 and it talks about the end times 02:18 and signs that have taken place already 02:21 and some things that are still to happen. 02:24 And you'll want to get this series. 02:26 Right now we're going to enjoy some music - 02:28 as we do every night. 02:30 And tonight it is Dona Klein who's going to be playing 02:34 on the organ for us a beautiful number entitled 02:38 Inside Those Pearly Gates. 05:05 Thank you, Dona. Appreciate that very much. 05:08 And welcome to each of you. 05:10 Welcome to all of you that are watching by television 05:14 or listening by radio. Very glad to welcome you 05:18 to Your Bible and You. 05:21 We've come down to the last presentation on this series 05:26 of Your Bible and You. 05:29 And so we're studying tonight 05:32 How To Study Your Bible. 05:34 What's the best way to study 05:36 your Bible? And I might mention 05:38 that if you've got pencil and paper... 05:40 it's a good night for it if you have it 05:43 because we'll be sharing some things that I hope will be 05:46 helpful to you. Our next presentations - 05:50 next series, next month - 05:52 is entitled The Elijah Message. 05:58 The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, 06:03 the last chapter, last verse 06:07 says "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet 06:11 before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 06:14 And he shall turns the hearts of the fathers to the children 06:18 and the children to the fathers 06:20 lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. " 06:24 So what we're going to be looking at 06:26 is what's the Elijah message? 06:28 What did Elijah have to say? 06:30 When is he coming back? 06:32 It says: "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet. " 06:35 When is he coming back? 06:36 What does it mean by the great and dreadful day of the Lord? 06:40 Those are some of the subjects that we'll be covering 06:43 as we talk about The Elijah Message. 06:46 A very important one, particularly for people that are 06:50 living today because it's talking about 06:54 right down the time that you and I are living. 06:57 So we hope that each of you will be sure and tune in 07:01 next month as we talk about The Elijah Message. 07:05 Now tonight: How To Study Your Bible. 07:11 I'm going to share with you to start with 07:14 principles, OK? 07:17 And I really consider the principles more important 07:22 than how to study the Bible. 07:24 OK? So we'll share those with you. 07:28 And then we're going to look at ways to study your Bible. 07:31 And just an effort, folks, to make this book 07:34 more meaningful to you, more enjoyable, 07:39 and also something that will bless you in a special way 07:43 spiritually. 07:44 We talked about that in our last presentation: 07:48 what the Bible can do for you. 07:50 And we talked about what it'll do for you, but you need 07:53 to get into the Word. 07:55 So that's what we're going to look at tonight. 07:57 And we hope that it will offer to you some practical 08:01 suggestions on how to study your Bible. 08:05 Well, we've enjoyed this series having Joe Pearles with us. 08:10 He's blessed my soul. 08:13 And he's going to sing a wonderful song tonight 08:16 entitled The Lamb. 08:37 So many times I've strayed away 08:43 from Jesus. 08:47 As a lamb that leaves the flock 08:52 without a care. 08:57 Then the time soon came when I'd gone too far 09:02 and stumbled. 09:07 And the last time that I knew 09:11 He'd take care of me. 09:16 I'm the lamb that the shepherd 09:21 left the flock for. 09:26 I was out in the cold 09:31 all alone. 09:36 So in need when Jesus found me; 09:41 He put His arms around me. 09:46 And I'll never be 09:49 alone anymore. 10:05 I was out in the cold 10:10 all alone. 10:15 So in need when Jesus found me; 10:20 He put His arms around me. 10:25 And I'll never be 10:28 alone anymore. 10:45 Now I'm back where I belong 10:49 and I'm so happy. 10:54 I can hear the shepherd's voice 10:59 all the time. 11:04 And I'll follow in the path 11:09 where He may lead me. 11:14 For this shepherd - Jesus - 11:18 is a friend of mine. 11:24 I'm the lamb that the shepherd 11:29 left the flock for. 11:33 I was out in the cold 11:39 all alone. 11:42 So in need when Jesus found me; 11:49 He put His arms around me. 11:54 And I'll never be 11:57 alone anymore. 12:03 So in need when Jesus found me; 12:08 He put His arms around me. 12:13 And I'll never be 12:16 alone anymore. 12:22 Oh no, I'll never be 12:26 alone anymore. 12:55 Heavenly Father, 12:58 We come to You this evening 13:02 as we open Your Word 13:04 asking for Your presence. 13:07 Lord, send Your Spirit. 13:11 May it illuminate our minds. 13:15 May our eyes be open. 13:18 May we have ears that hear. 13:22 Give us understanding, Lord, 13:26 that as we look at Your Word 13:31 we may understand how to communicate with You... 13:37 to be drawn into Your presence. 13:40 Bless each one here. 13:42 We ask in Christ's name, Amen. 13:51 Well as I mentioned, I'm going to start out talking about 13:55 principles because there's principles in understanding 13:59 the scripture that make a great, great difference. 14:02 And if you do the principles right, 14:05 how to study it will just kind of fall in place. 14:08 So it's real important that you get the principles right. 14:11 And the first thing I'd like to mention to you 14:14 as far as I'm concerned, if you're going to study God's Word 14:17 you need to be in the right frame of mind. 14:21 Be in the right frame of mind 14:24 if you're going to study God's Word. 14:26 And one of the best ways to do that 14:29 is to take time in the morning. 14:33 Get into God's Word before all the pressures of the day 14:36 come and all the things that you have to do... 14:39 Get into God's Word in the morning. 14:41 And if you're having trouble 14:43 being in the right frame of mind... 14:44 In other words, if you got out of the bed on the wrong side 14:48 of the bed, well get back in bed and get out on the right side. 14:51 But you need to be in the right frame of mind. 14:56 If you're all out of sorts and angry and stuff, 15:01 you're going to have a hard time understanding God's Word 15:05 and having it do you some good. 15:07 So approach the Lord early in the morning. 15:11 And one of the best ways to be in the right frame of mind 15:16 is to spend some time in prayer. 15:19 When you get up... in fact, I pray even before I get up. 15:25 I pray just laying right there in bed. 15:28 In fact, that's what it tells you to do in the 4th Psalm. 15:31 That you pray in your bed. 15:34 It says "while on your bed. " And I just talk to the Lord 15:37 then and, you know, communicate with Him. 15:41 It says to talk to the Lord and pray to Him then. 15:45 And then it says: "be quiet. " 15:47 Just, you know, be quiet and listen... 15:51 because some of us are so busy 15:53 we never stop to listen to the Lord. 15:55 Listen to what He has to say. 15:57 So take some time to do that. 16:00 But pray, and if you will pray 16:04 it will help you understand it. 16:07 And I'll assure you, it's well, well worth praying 16:11 in the morning. Five minutes of prayer in the morning 16:15 saves 1/2 hour of confession at night. 16:19 OK? So take the time to talk to the Lord. 16:23 This is what the scripture says: 16:40 So it's very important that I pray. 16:43 As far as I'm concerned, you should never sit down 16:47 to study the Word of God without praying. 16:50 Asking God to give you understanding 16:55 to help you know what it's talking about. 16:57 Have you ever had this experience where you've 17:00 read something and you came across a text 17:03 and you just didn't understand it? 17:06 Huh? You ever have that? 17:08 And, oh, a few days later... a week or so later 17:12 you were reading in the same area and came across that 17:14 text and you didn't understand it. 17:17 And some time later you read it again. 17:20 Still wasn't clear. 17:22 And then one day you're reading it and all of a sudden 17:25 you understand it. 17:27 It's clear. You ever have that happen? 17:29 Well that isn't because you got smart. 17:32 That's because the Holy Spirit guiding, leading you, 17:37 directing you. That's why you and I need to pray. 17:40 We need to get into the Word 17:42 and understand what it's talking about. 17:44 And the Holy Spirit which God gives to us as we study 17:49 the scripture... it helps us understand. 17:52 It illuminates our mind, opens up the Word of God. 17:56 That's what it does for us. 18:12 It's the Holy Spirit that gives us knowledge. 18:16 Gives us wisdom. Helps us understand that. 18:19 So by all means, one of the principles you need to 18:21 understand is if you're going to sit down and study God's Word 18:25 take time to pray first 18:28 and ask the Lord to guide and direct you in understanding it 18:32 so that you're going to have the support - God's Spirit - 18:38 as you read His Word. 18:39 OK. All right, so that's one principle you need to put down 18:43 and you need to understand. Another one is 18:46 you've got to search the scriptures. 18:49 You've got to search the scripture. You can't 18:53 just give it a casual reading. 18:55 That isn't the way it comes. 18:57 That isn't the way you learn. That isn't what stays with you. 19:00 You've got to spend some time in it. 19:03 This is what it says: 19:12 So... I need to read the scripture and I need to dig 19:18 in it. You understand what I mean by that when I say dig? 19:23 You need to get in and search it, study it. 19:27 Make sure you follow. Folks, this is truth. 19:31 You understand that? 19:34 This is truth, 19:35 and truth will always stand investigation. 19:40 You don't have to worry about that. 19:43 That was one of the greatest reliefs I ever found 19:47 when I was no longer afraid of what I was going to read. 19:52 It was truth... and I could read it and accept it 19:55 and believe it. 19:56 And the more I dug into it 19:58 the more it stands up. 20:01 So take time; search the scripture. 20:04 It'll help you immensely. 20:21 They accepted the scripture with all readiness. 20:25 They were ready to seek the Word of God and to search it 20:30 and they opened up their hearts. 20:32 Let me tell you something... 20:35 I told you this the other night. 20:38 The scripture won't do you any good 20:42 in the head. 20:45 It won't do you any good in your hand. 20:48 Won't do you any good in your pocket. 20:51 Won't do you any good on the shelf. 20:53 It's only the scripture in the heart that does some good. 20:57 That's what it's saying here. 20:59 With all readiness they accepted it. 21:01 They searched the scripture to see if the things that 21:04 Paul was saying was so. 21:07 So you and I need to search the scripture. 21:10 We need to make sure we under- stand what it's talking about. 21:13 The thing that people get into trouble about 21:16 is they don't take time to dig. 21:19 See, there's all kinds 21:24 of nuggets of gold in here. 21:27 OK? And you've got to dig them out. 21:30 I was talking to an old minister one time 21:33 and asked him where he got some of those things. 21:36 He said: "Oh, I just study the scripture. Pull it out by 21:38 the hair of its head, you know. " 21:40 And he just... into the Word of God... digging. 21:43 And that's what you and I need to do. 21:46 As gold, I need to look for it, search for it. 21:49 It'll make a great, great difference as you do. 21:53 OK? All right. 21:56 A little at a time... I'm giving you principles. 22:00 Take a little at a time. 22:04 All right. Listen to this... what the scripture says: 22:27 He told these people: "You should be eating solid food. 22:30 You should be teachers now... but you're not 22:32 and therefore you're going to have to drink milk. " 22:35 In other words, they weren't ready to take the solid word of 22:40 scripture. And so if you're just starting... 22:43 If you're just starting to read God's Word, 22:45 you can't jump in and take great gobs of it, folks. 22:51 That's not the way it works. 22:53 That's not the way you study trigonometry, is it? 22:57 You don't get into the middle of the book and get into the 23:00 heavy theorems and all that. 23:01 You've got to start a little at a time. 23:04 Same thing is true with the scripture. 23:06 You've got to take a little at a time to understand 23:10 what it's talking about. 23:21 That is how you study the scripture. 23:24 And as you begin and you study a little of it 23:27 and more of it and more of it you can eat more of it. 23:30 That... that's what it takes. 23:33 I run onto these people... I hear them say: 23:35 "Oh, I'm going to read the Bible through. " 23:37 And they start out to read it 23:41 and they get through Genesis and Exodus and they bog down 23:44 in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. 23:45 And that's it. If they make it to Ezekiel 23:49 and so forth, that does them in. 23:50 You know. No, they're trying to take off too much. 23:54 You need to take a little at a time. 23:58 As you do that, then it will open up 24:01 and you'll begin to understand God's Word. 24:05 So the principle is: 24:06 don't try to take too much of it at one time. 24:12 Probably this one thing keeps more people 24:17 from understanding it than any other thing that I know. 24:22 You have to be willing to follow what the scripture says. 24:27 There's a lot of people that read God's Word 24:30 but if it crosses them then all of a sudden 24:36 they're ready to... Maybe they're like the lady, 24:38 you know, the preacher was preaching and she was 24:40 amen-ing him. 24:41 And he would say something that she agreed with 24:43 and she would say "Amen! " 24:45 And boy, said something else and she said "Amen! " 24:48 And then all of a sudden he said something that cut her 24:51 right to the heart. And she said: 24:53 "Ooh wee, he's quit preaching and started meddling. " 24:55 See? And that's the way some people feel like is there... 24:59 But when you're reading the Word of God, folks, 25:02 I've got to be willing to accept what the scripture says. 25:06 And it won't help you if you don't. 25:11 If I'm going to throw up resistance, 25:13 I'm going to harden my heart, 25:14 the Holy Spirit can't do you any good. 25:17 But I've got to be willing to accept it. 25:34 In other words, if I'm willing to do God's will 25:38 then I can know what the doctrine is. 25:41 In other words, what the Bible teaches. 25:48 See I find out that I've got to be willing to listen; 25:53 I've got to be willing to accept the Word of God. 26:10 Talking about the people of Christ's day. 26:13 And they couldn't... they read the Old Testament with a veil. 26:19 In other words, they weren't willing to accept what it said 26:23 and the revelation. It's still true today. 26:25 There's many people unwilling to... 26:27 and as a result they don't understand it. 26:39 That opens their eyes; they begin to see, 26:43 understand the Word of God. 26:45 And so you and I must be willing 26:49 to accept what the Word of God tells us. 27:04 I can't be like the fellow... I was studying with this family. 27:08 And we were studying the scripture together 27:13 and there was a knock on the door. 27:15 They went to the door, and a friend, evidently, 27:21 this gentleman was there and they invited him in. 27:23 And he sat down and we... after a little bit 27:26 continued our study. 27:28 As we continued our study and going through it 27:31 he said: "I don't believe that. " 27:34 And I said: "Well, that's OK. " 27:38 Said: "We live in a country where you can believe 27:41 different if you want to and that's your privilege. " 27:43 He said: "Well, I just don't believe that at all. " 27:46 I said: "That's all right. " 27:48 He said: "Well, I don't think that's right. " 27:51 And I said: "Well, can you show me something different? " 27:54 Said: "You know, if you don't believe that, 27:57 show me something different in God's Word. " 28:00 And he said: "OK. " 28:03 He said: "You show me 28:05 where that's taught in the scripture. " 28:07 And I said: "OK. " 28:09 And I said let's turn over here to the book of Isaiah. 28:11 He said: "Just a minute. " 28:14 He said: "I don't accept anything in the Old Testament. " 28:17 He said: "The only thing I go by is the New Testament. " 28:20 Said: "That's all I go by. " 28:23 And I said: "OK, that's fair enough. " 28:25 I said: "Let's turn over to the gospel of Luke. " 28:27 He said: "Just a minute. " He said: "Now Matthew, Mark, 28:31 Luke, and John were all written about Jesus' life 28:35 up until His death. " 28:36 And he said: "But what I take is what took place 28:39 after His death. " 28:41 So he said: "That's what I go by is just what took place 28:44 after His death. " 28:45 And I said: "OK. " 28:48 I said: "Let's turn over here to the book of Revelation. " 28:51 He said: "Just a minute. " 28:54 He said: "Now this book of Revelation, " he said, 28:56 "that's all kinds of symbols and that kind of stuff. " 29:00 And he said: "Nobody understands that book. " 29:01 He said: "That's just theories and visions and stuff 29:05 nobody understands. " He said: "I don't go by Revelation. " 29:08 I said: "OK. " 29:10 I said: "Let's turn over here to the book of Hebrews. " 29:13 He said: "Just a minute. " 29:15 He said: "Now that book of Hebrews, " he said, "that 29:18 was written for the Jews. " He said: "I'm a Gentile 29:21 and I don't go by what's written... " 29:22 When he got through, that's all I had left. 29:24 Now you can't, folks, you can't 29:28 understand God's Word that way. 29:30 You've got to spend time in the scripture. 29:34 And as it says: "ALL scripture 29:36 is given by the inspiration of God. " 29:39 And if you're going to understand this book 29:42 you've got to take the whole thing 29:43 from Genesis to Revelation. 29:46 That's what... what you have to do. 29:50 So don't start in, you know, dissecting the Word of God 29:54 and saying "Well, I'll accept this and I won't accept that. " 29:57 You've got to look at it all. 29:59 And if you look at it all it all comes together 30:03 if you just look at the whole thing, all right? 30:06 So take the Word of God. Spend time with it, study it. 30:11 It'll make a great, great difference. 30:13 All right. 30:24 Well, the scripture is very clear on that. 30:27 This is what it says: 30:42 Yes, a preacher can help you understand God's Word 30:47 because that's what he's spent his life doing 30:49 is studying God's Word. 30:51 So, yes. He can be an assistance; 30:53 he can be a help to you. 30:55 But there has to be guidelines for that. 31:01 Never, never, never 31:04 permit somebody else to think for you. 31:10 Now dear friends... all of you - 31:13 those of you that are here, those of you that are watching 31:14 by television and listening by radio - 31:16 God gave you a mind, and you need to use it. 31:22 You know, and don't let somebody else think for you. 31:26 If you have a question about God's Word 31:30 and you don't understand something about it, 31:33 get into the book. 31:34 Study it. Search it out 31:37 until you know in your heart what it has to say. 31:42 That's what you and I need to do. 31:44 In fact, this is what the scripture tells us: 31:55 When it talks about the law and the testimony 31:58 this is the law and the testimony, folks. 32:01 And it says if... if it doesn't speak in accordance with 32:04 the Word of God, there's no light in them. 32:07 So, yes. A minister definitely can help you, 32:10 and that's what he should do. 32:12 That's what his purpose is. 32:14 That's what God called him to do. 32:16 But he must teach you in accordance with the book. 32:21 That has to be. 32:24 That's a principle that you need to understand. 32:27 He has to guide and lead you as the book teaches. 32:42 What is that telling you and me? 32:44 That's telling us that this book is perfectly capable 32:49 of interpreting itself. 32:51 What we have to do is we have to spend the time in it 32:56 so that we can see it interpret itself. 33:00 Now there's people that approach the scripture this way. 33:04 And that is, they have some idea in their mind... 33:09 They have an idea in their mind 33:11 and then they go to the scripture trying to find support 33:14 for their idea. 33:16 That is not the way you want to approach scripture. 33:20 You're there to find out what it has to say 33:24 not what you think. 33:25 And so you need to come to the Word of God 33:29 with an open heart, an open mind, 33:32 to see what the Word of God is telling you. 33:35 And as you read it and it will, like it says, reveal itself 33:41 to you, then you and I must have hearts that are open 33:44 to accept it. 33:46 Accept it. And sometimes... sorry... 33:50 but sometimes what you learn is hard. 33:54 You know. There's sometimes it just cuts right directly across 33:59 and I have to be willing to accept it. 34:03 You see, that's part of the sword of the Spirit, folks. 34:07 And unfortunately, it's a double-edged sword 34:12 and it hurts going in and it hurts coming out. 34:17 See? But I have to be willing 34:20 to let God do His work in my life. 34:24 And it's only as I spend time in this book 34:29 that He can speak to me and talk to me through His Spirit 34:34 and He can bring about those things that need to be changed 34:38 in my life. And so part of studying scripture 34:43 is not... is not just studying a particular subject. 34:50 Part of studying scripture is getting into it 34:53 and seeing what I need to learn 34:57 and what changes need to take place in me 35:00 so that I become more and more like Him. 35:04 That's what it's about. 35:06 So take the time to study the Word of God. 35:09 Those are principles that you need to apply in your life 35:14 and particularly as you study God's Word. 35:17 So, how do you study your Bible? 35:20 OK. If you'll take those principles - apply them - then 35:24 you can study your Bible and you'll get something from it. 35:27 OK? So let's see how to study your Bible. 35:33 To begin with... you need a Bible dictionary. 35:36 Get you a good Bible dictionary. 35:41 A Bible dictionary will clarify words. 35:44 It will clarify places. 35:46 It will tell you things that you need to know 35:49 when you're reading your Bible. 35:50 If you read something and you don't know what it is, 35:54 you come across it and you don't know what it's talking about, 35:56 you need to look it up. 35:58 You need to understand what it's talking about, 36:01 and a Bible dictionary will help you that way. 36:04 So there's lots of them out there. 36:06 Just find you a good Bible dictionary and use it, 36:11 because it's one thing that you're going to need 36:13 in your study of God's Word. 36:15 The other thing that you need in the study of God's Word 36:19 is what's called a concordance. 36:22 There's a couple concordances... one called Strong's, 36:26 another one called Young's. 36:28 A concordance is a book that will give you 36:33 a word that's mentioned all the way through the scripture. 36:38 In other words, if I wanted to look up the word faith, 36:43 I can look in a concordance and it will give me all the texts 36:46 in the Bible that uses the word faith. 36:48 And so I can take that and I can begin to put together 36:53 what the scripture has to say about it. 36:56 That's what a Bible concordance does for me. 36:59 And you need a Bible concordance, and so 37:02 find you a Bible concordance that you can use 37:05 that will help you understand 37:08 what the scripture is talking about. 37:10 Then you need a Bible that is a good translation. 37:15 OK? Be careful! 37:19 Don't get some of these Bibles where they've left out 37:22 portions of scripture. 37:25 You need to get a Bible that's a good translation 37:28 and use it for your study. 37:31 It may not be one that you particularly want to use 37:36 just for reading. 37:37 But you need to have a study Bible that you can study 37:42 that will help you 37:43 in understanding God's Word. 37:45 Those are some of the things - 37:48 mechanical things - that you need to have if you're going to 37:52 take the time to study God's Word 37:54 and find out what it's talking about. 37:56 OK. What are some of the things to study? 38:01 Well, one of the things I enjoy most is biographies. 38:05 I like biographies, and they've been a great, great blessing 38:10 to me. Do you understand what I mean by that? 38:11 You need to study the lives of some of these great people 38:17 in the Bible. For instance, one of the great, great men 38:21 in the Bible as far as I'm concerned was Joseph. 38:25 And so if you want to read the life of Joseph, 38:29 you find the life of Joseph given from Genesis 37 38:34 to Genesis 50. That's the life of Joseph. 38:36 So if you want to study his life then read that part: 38:41 Genesis 37 to 50. 38:43 I would suggest that you get a good book 38:47 that also goes through that. 38:49 For instance, on the life of Joseph, one of the best books 38:52 I've ever read on his life was one called A Man Called Joseph 38:56 by... by Carlyle B. Haynes. 39:01 That is a fantastic book on the life of Joseph. 39:05 Another book that you would enjoy on the life of Joseph 39:08 is called Patriarchs and Prophets. 39:11 That's another one that gives the life of Joseph. 39:14 Get those. Read them. Compare them with scripture. 39:18 How should I put this, folks? 39:22 If you've got the Word of God here, 39:25 and you've got a book on - let's say - the life of Joseph, 39:32 understand that what this book says is a whole lot more 39:38 important than what this book says. 39:39 You with me? 39:41 You don't judge the scripture by this book. 39:44 You judge that book by the scripture. 39:46 And always keep that clear in your mind 39:49 that this is the Word of God; this is the way it is to be. 39:53 That's what it's supposed to talk about. 39:55 And so follow it, and it will help you very, very much. 39:59 Another one that I enjoy is Moses. 40:03 Great, great life. 40:08 And you'll find Moses' life taught in Exodus the 1st chapter 40:13 to the 20th chapter. Gives you the life of Moses. 40:16 The 24th chapter and then the 31st chapter to the 40:20 35th chapter. All that's in Exodus. 40:23 And then Numbers chapter 10 to chapter 27. 40:26 That gives you the life of Moses. 40:28 And... fantastic man 40:33 when you read about Moses. 40:35 I mean, tremendous individual. 40:38 Again, that book Patriarchs and Prophets 40:41 has great, great sections in it on the life of Moses. 40:47 What he did. It's in their lives, folks, 40:51 that you begin to see and understand how God works. 40:56 You begin to see and understand God's mercy 41:00 and God's kindness and all 41:02 as He deals with different ones. 41:05 Like He did with Moses. I mean, these men and these women 41:09 are just like us. 41:11 They had failures just the same as you and I do. 41:15 They had victories just the same as we do. 41:17 And so you need to read their life; it will encourage you 41:21 as you read their life. 41:22 David. Fantastic story. 41:27 If you want to read one that will kind of set you on the edge 41:30 of your seat, read the life of David. 41:32 Find it in I Samuel the 16th chapter to the 31st chapter, 41:37 the whole book of II Samuel, 41:42 and then I Kings the 1st and 2nd chapter. 41:45 That gives you the life of David. 41:47 And, of course, if you've never taken the time to read 41:52 the life of David, well then just get into the Bible 41:56 and spend some time with it. 41:57 I've read it time and time and time again. 42:00 I have to be honest... I mean, 42:02 I think the first time I read it all the way through 42:05 I came out disgusted with him. 42:07 You know... Because God said "don't do it, " he did it! 42:11 You know? But nevertheless, you can go in and you can see 42:15 the mercy and the love of God. 42:17 Because this man who loved the Lord - and by the way, 42:21 folks, God loved him because he never passed the buck... 42:27 You understand that? 42:29 he never passed the buck. 42:31 He never blamed somebody else for his fault. 42:34 He said: "I'm the one that did it; I'm to blame. " 42:37 And great, great man. 42:40 And because of that God loved him and blessed him 42:45 in a marvelous way. And He will do the same 42:47 for you and for me. 42:48 But we need to learn to quit - you know - passing the blame 42:52 to somebody else. We need to learn to take it on the chin 42:55 and say "Well I did this. I'm at fault. " 42:58 And another one you might enjoy is Elijah. 43:02 Great man, Elijah. By the way, in the book of James 43:06 it says that Elijah was a man 43:08 subject to like passions as we are. 43:11 That's what it says. 43:12 So it says that he was very much like us. 43:15 And you'll find his life there in I Kings the 17th chapter 43:20 to II Kings the 13th chapter. 43:23 That whole section deals with Elijah. 43:25 Great, great prophet. 43:27 And... but he had failures, you know. 43:30 Here he had this tremendous experience up on top 43:33 of Mount Carmel, see. 43:36 And here he was the hero by day 43:39 and became the coward by night. 43:41 See? And so you have to read his life and see how God 43:47 blessed and what God did in his life. 43:50 Wonderful way to study the scripture. 43:52 Of course, the life of Christ. 44:00 I... I don't know of anything that I can tell you 44:05 that is more important 44:08 than spending time in the life of Jesus. 44:11 Without question, folks, 44:14 His life will touch your heart, 44:18 thrill your soul. He is indeed wonderful. 44:24 Read and understand what He did for you and for me. 44:28 And, of course, then there's Paul. 44:30 The life of Paul: Acts the 7th chapter 44:34 to Acts the 22nd chapter 44:37 gives you the life of Paul. 44:39 And what a marvelous life that was. 44:43 And, folks, the thing I think I enjoy the most 44:48 about Paul is his complete and total trust in God. 44:53 I mean, he just trusted Him totally and completely. 44:58 And that's the way his life was. 45:01 And so if you like biographies 45:04 here's a good way to read and study the scripture... 45:07 and enjoy it - you know - in a very special way. 45:11 Helps you. OK. 45:13 Then you can study the Bible by subjects. 45:16 OK? 45:20 But here you have to be careful. 45:24 Here you have to be careful. 45:28 And so I'm going to give you some guidelines 45:32 to studying the Bible by subjects. 45:41 What do I mean by that? 45:45 If you're studying a particular subject, 45:50 and as you're studying that subject if you have 45:54 questions on it... 45:57 If you have questions on it 46:00 and you're trying to know what it's about, 46:05 then find out what the whole Bible has to say 46:09 on that subject. 46:10 In other words, find out what Isaiah said about it. 46:14 And find out what Jeremiah said about it 46:18 and what Luke said about it and what Paul said about it 46:22 and what Matthew said about it. 46:23 Find out what they all said about it. 46:26 But, folks, when you're through, 46:32 let me just tell you, line it all up with Jesus Christ. 46:36 Line it up with Him 46:39 and keep your eyes on Jesus. 46:42 That way you're going to come out right 46:45 if you keep Christ in view all the time. 46:51 OK. Next: 46:59 You can't be like the fellow, you know. 47:01 His... his way of studying the scripture 47:04 was that each morning he got up and he looked up a text. 47:08 That was his guidance and direction for the day. 47:12 So he opened his Bible up. 47:15 The first text his eyes fell on said: 47:17 "Judas went and hung himself. " 47:20 You know... that wasn't very encouraging you know and all. 47:24 So he closed his Bible up. 47:26 Opened it up again and 47:28 the first text his eyes fell on 47:30 said: "Go do thou likewise. " 47:32 You see, you can't study the scripture that way. 47:36 You've got to study it, and you can't build a belief 47:41 for a doctrine on one text. Never... 47:44 never build a belief just on one text. 47:48 Don't do that... and I find a lot of people that do that. 47:53 They build it just on one scripture. 47:55 There's many different ways to look at that. 47:58 Just like this podium here. 48:01 You see, I can stand here and I can look at it this way 48:04 and I get one view. 48:05 But if I go over here, I get another view of it. 48:10 Same thing is true of a single text. 48:13 You can look at it different ways. 48:16 But when you find out what all of them said about it 48:19 all the way through you're going to only look at it 48:21 one way and specially if you line it up with Jesus Christ. 48:25 OK. Thirdly, 48:31 Now Isaiah, listen to me, 48:36 Isaiah will never disagree with Paul. 48:43 Paul will never disagree 48:46 with Jeremiah. 48:49 Jeremiah will never disagree with Matthew. 48:55 So find out what the whole Bible teaches on that subject 49:00 so you are not in doubt about it. 49:03 You can know what the Word of God says. 49:06 What it's telling you. 49:07 You'll find that that makes a great, great difference 49:11 when you study God's Word 49:13 and find out what it has to say on it. 49:15 OK. Also, you can study the Bible by book. 49:20 OK? But you've got to remember: 49:23 how many books are there in here? 49:25 Sixty-six books. 49:28 Each is a book, so if you're going to study it by book, 49:33 you need to take a look at what that book is talking about. 49:37 What it has to say. 49:39 The writer. You need to know who the writer is. 49:43 John or Moses or Isaiah? 49:48 You need to understand the culture, the background 49:52 of that book. You need to find out what was going on 49:55 at that time so you can put it together. 49:57 Like the book of Hosea. 50:01 If I'm going to understand the book of Hosea, 50:03 I need to know who Hosea was. 50:05 Do you know who he was? What he did? 50:09 You need to understand the culture. 50:11 What was God trying to say to him? 50:14 What was God trying to say to the Jewish nation? 50:17 You know, who? What is all this 50:20 that he... he had to say? 50:22 I need to put it all together 50:24 so that I understand it 50:26 and I can see it 50:27 and I know what it's talking about. 50:29 That's the way you understand a book in the Bible. 50:32 Spend time on it. 50:34 OK. 50:40 Say that again. 50:46 Don't get into it and just all of a sudden 50:49 start trying to dig through as fast as you can. 50:53 Stop. Sit down and read it slowly. 50:58 Read it carefully; make sure you understand what it is saying. 51:03 I would tell you don't go on... 51:07 Don't go on to another verse 51:10 until you understand that verse. 51:12 See? Just take the time. 51:15 Read it slowly so it sinks in. 51:18 In your life you'll find that that will make a great, 51:22 great difference in your understanding of God's Word. 51:25 If you just slow down; take time to read it 51:29 so you know what it's talking about. 51:32 And so the Word of God is a very, very wonderful book. 51:38 And God will bless you in a special way. 51:46 Maybe you can't do it in the morning. 51:49 Maybe that just doesn't fit your schedule. 51:52 But you ought to find some time to study the Word of God. 51:57 Take the time and study. 52:00 Dear friend, the Bible says that we're born again. 52:04 We're born into the kingdom of God. 52:07 But it says we're born into the kingdom of God as babes. 52:12 OK? This happens to be the food for the baby. 52:18 OK? And one thing you've got to do 52:22 is you've got to feed the baby. 52:24 Follow me? 52:27 And sometimes it's not very convenient to feed the baby, 52:30 but you've got to feed him just the same. 52:34 You can't say: "Well, I'm not going to feed you. " 52:36 You've got to take the time to feed the baby 52:39 so that he can eat, he can grow. 52:42 And so take the time... find the time 52:45 to spend in the Word of God. 53:07 So this is what is going to make a difference in my life. 53:12 This is what's going to change things 53:14 is the time that I spend in the Word of God. 53:17 Now, let me just simply share with you 53:21 something that as far as I'm concerned 53:24 makes a great, great difference. 53:26 That is simply this: 53:35 You won't keep it if you don't use it. 53:40 So use it, share it, talk to somebody about it... 53:46 but use what you learn. 53:48 And if you will use it, you're going to retain it. 53:52 But if you don't use it, you won't retain it. 53:55 But the Word of God will bless you. Your soul will grow 54:01 and you will grow spiritually as you spend time 54:04 in the Word of God. 54:07 What says the Bible, 54:10 the blessed Bible? 54:14 This should my only 54:19 question be. 54:23 Teachings of men 54:25 so often mislead us. 54:30 What says the book 54:33 of God to me? 54:38 Give me the Bible, 54:43 holy message shining. 54:47 Thy light shall guide me 54:50 in the narrow way. 54:55 Precept and promise, 54:59 law and love combining. 55:03 Till night shall vanish 55:08 in eternal day. 55:15 Let us pray. 55:17 Father, thank you for Your Word. 55:20 Lord, may we each one 55:24 each day spend time with You. 55:29 Give us an understanding heart. 55:33 May we day by day grow in grace 55:38 and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. 55:40 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 55:45 Our next series is The Coming of Elijah. 55:50 So we hope you'll be sure and join us next month 55:54 as we take a look at the coming of Elijah and what God 55:57 has to say particularly to us today. 56:00 Good night; God bless each one of you. 56:04 Water can be both inspiring and awesome. 56:09 As it flows from the hills and the mountains 56:11 water changes the destiny of every living creature 56:16 it comes in contact with. 56:18 Not a single living thing 56:20 can survive without water for long. 56:23 But despite its beauty 56:25 the power of water can cut channels through rocks 56:28 and change the landscape forever. 56:31 In John chapter 7 56:33 Jesus stood and cried out saying: 56:36 "If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink. 56:39 He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, 56:43 out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. " 56:47 As He did so many times, 56:49 Jesus explained the spiritual things of God 56:53 through nature... like flowing water. 56:55 This living water is a life-changing source. 57:00 It can change the landscape of our lives 57:02 and flow through us to change the lives of others. 57:08 Folks, we all need water to live... 57:12 but we also need living water. 57:15 Jesus is that living water, 57:18 and through His Spirit we can bring life to those around us. 57:22 The only goal we have at this ministry 57:25 is to offer living water to all mankind. 57:29 There are thousands - no millions - 57:33 who still long for this water: the living water of life. 57:37 Won't you help us quench their thirst? 57:40 Please consider what you can do 57:42 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:45 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:46 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 58:01 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 58:03 through television and radio. 58:05 Your gifts help bring the blessed hope of salvation 58:07 to millions around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17