Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....September 27, 2021
We all have tried at one time or another reading the Bible and maybe get stuck on understanding what God is saying.....
Here is a simple bible study method that anyone can use to understand any passage of scripture. This teaching will help you step by step how to study your Bible. This is an adaptation of our old "SOAP" devotion and I believe this will help you get to a deeper understanding of God's Word:)
HOW TO MAKE YOUR BIBLE COME ALIVE
The Bible is the most wonderful and most important book ever written. It contains the most important message ever written – the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it is also the most taken for granted and ignored book of history. Even those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ do not study as they should.
The reasons for this are myriad. They include: “I do not understand it.” “I am afraid that I will misunderstand it and mess up my spiritual understanding.” “I cannot figure out what it means because it is too hard and deep.” “I do not have enough schooling to study the Bible – you need a theological degree.”
None of these reasons or statements is valid! Not one is even close to being accurate. God wrote the Bible for each and every believer. He imbued it with His life-giving power for each of us. He made it infinitely applicable to everyday living for each person. He wrote it so we would come to know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior and not as some intellectual foundation for religion or deep theological discourse.
I John 5:13 says this specifically: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” It was written specifically for US!
John also addresses the question of difficulty and education: “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone should teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” (I John 2:27) This means that you have the word of God and the Holy Spirit who guides you in the word of God and you cannot mess it up, get it wrong, or miss its meaning because HE is your teacher. He teaches you and leads you. This verse also says specifically that HE will insure it is true and not a lie.
We need to learn to study and listen to the Holy Spirit and He will make the Bible come alive to us. I want to show you a simple method for reading the Bible which will equip you to listen carefully to the Holy Spirit so He can “teach you all things.” (John 14: 25-6)
This is simple and foolproof. Anyone who can read can do this. I promise you that God will speak to you through His word and you will see the Bible come alive. I promise you the Holy Spirit will not let you “mess it up” per His promise in I John and Jesus’ promise in John 14.
This Bible study method is based on 3 simple exercises which will make it come alive. There is not any magic in this method. It has been around for a long time. It is simply a means of slowing you down so you read carefully and slowly enough for the words to penetrate and for God to speak to you. Each exercise will utilize a few simple questions to guide you through a passage of scripture carefully and completely.
These three exercises are:
1) Observation– What does the passage say? 2) Interpretation– What does the passage mean? 3) Application- What does the passage require?
We will use 2 Peter as a textbook for learning these exercises. We will do each one on a portion of chapter 1. You do not need to spend more than 15-25 minutes on each one. Set aside a standard time and just work each day for the allotted amount of time. There is no rush and no need to finish any exercise. Remember that a major reason this method of study works is that it slows you down so you can read carefully and completely and not miss anything. Once you see how simple this is, then you can finish the chapter and the book on your own. God’s word will come alive to you!
Exercise 1 - Observation
We need to read carefully the passage so we can glean all of the richness and beauty in it. The Bible says that every single word is inspired by God Himself – do not miss any of them! We need to simply stop and observe the passage. We are literally going to write down what it says. What concepts and ideas; people, places and things; are written in this passage?
Get out a notepad or notebook. Write “Observation” across the top line. We are going to write on the page the answer to the following question: Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why. Yes, it is that simple. Write the word “who” outside the red line on the left of the page and then read 2 Peter 1 very slowly. Stop and write down each “who” as you come to it.
Who- Simon Peter, Jesus Christ, “those who have obtained like precious faith, us, God and Savior Jesus Christ, you, God, Jesus our Lord, us, you.
That is all there is to it. This list is complete through verse 4. It really is that simple. Now just complete this exercise for the rest of the chapter. Now do the other questions. Here are a few examples:
What- a bondservant, an apostle, a like precious faith, grace, peace,
How- “by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ”; How is grace and peace given? “multiplied”; How are we given all things? “by His divine power”; etc.
Where- (11) “into the kingdom of our Lord”
When- (14) “knowing that shortly I must put off my tent” – meaning Peter will soon die and go to be with Jesus
It does not matter whether a word or concept makes you list as a “what” or a “how”. All that matters is that one of the questions caused you to slow down and see that it was there. That is why it is so easy. The Holy Spirit is infinitely able to be clear in His instructions to you. As you go through these questions, He will stop you when you hit the idea He wants you to see. All you have to do is walk through the questions.
Exercise 2 – Interpretation
The next exercise is to create a simple means of insuring that you interpret the passage properly. All that is required is make sure you are reading each verse within the context and framework of the passage. Write “Interpretation” over a separate page in your notebook or pad. Do these 3 simple things. First, count the repeated concepts and phrases. The most often repeated concepts will obviously establish the subject matter of what God is trying to communicate.
Second, circle and make note of words that connect or contrast. This is simply making sure that we read a verse carefully enough that we do not misunderstand an illustration or concept. For example, Peter uses the word “for” several times. He says “but also for this very reason”(5); “For if these things are yours”(8); Therefore (10). These words connect a thought to a command. They give meaning and connection to concepts so we get them in context.
Third, using these simple techniques, write a theme sentence for the chapter. Simply combine the repeated subjects together and see what it is God is trying to say as the theme of this chapter. This will give you a touchstone to compare the verses against as you read the chapter so that you will interpret every verse in light of its intended meaning.
It is that simple to carefully read a passage and insure you get the proper meaning. As you write a theme sentence from this chapter, it should include these ideas: the things we receive from the Lord as believers are so wonderful and credible; we should work in our lives to focus on them and grow them in our minds and hearts. Everything in this chapter is related to that theme and should bread in light of that concept. Now you cannot really mess up any verse in that chapter.
Exercise 3: Application
Finally, we will reach the reason for our study. What does the passage require? This is the target for your study. God’s word always calls you to a response. There is always a choice of faith the He wants you to engage in your life when you study. The Bible was meant to be applied to our everyday lives. See 2 Timothy 3:16-7.
Begin a new section in your notebook or notepad entitled “Application.” Answer 3 simple questions: 1) What did God show me to do? 2) Why does He want me to do it? 3) How does He tell me to do it?
Answering these 3 questions will truly make the Bible come alive to you. Most chapters have numerous applications. It does not mater which one you work on at any given time. God will show the one He wants you to develop. As you read, the Holy Spirit will make one stand out. It will convict you, excite you, or stir you – but it will be clear. Here is one example:
What does He want me to do? Verse 5: “add to your faith…” He then gives us a list of what to add. “Virtue” means goodness or integrity. Add virtue or good behavior to my faith in Jesus. Add knowledge to my virtue. That is what we are doing in this study. Simply follow the list of what we add and when in this process. God simply commands that we should add to our faith in Jesus an active growing process which impacts out behavior and actions.
Why does He want me to do it? “For this very reason…” What reason is that? Clearly, it is the list contained in the preceding verses. For example, verse 4 tells us we have been given “exceedingly great and precious promises” that have the power of making us “partakers of His divine nature.” Do you need any other motivation for studying God’s word? The promises in scripture were given to us to give us the means and power of becoming more like Jesus everyday of our lives! That is why we add to our faith the effort of self-control, perseverance and godliness.
How do I do what God wants me to do? The question for this command becomes how do I add to my faith these things? The answer is “giving all diligence.” Do you diligently work at growing in the Lord? Do you diligently study for the purpose of applying the “exceedingly great and precious promises of scripture?” The problem for most Christians is not skill, but diligence. How much more would we grow if we simply worked at it “with all diligence?”
It is my prayer that this simple lesson will help you sit down with these “exceedingly great and precious promises” and add knowledge to you faith. Even a little diligence in following this pattern will make your Bible explode to you. You can do this and do it well. The Holy Spirit will guide you and teach you if you will simply use the diligence to spend a few minutes each day pursuing these 3 simple exercises.
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
Most people want to avoid troubles, trials and tribulations, but God allows them, so how does God use trials and troubles to learn how to trust Him?
Piles of Trials
Most people want to avoid troubles, trials and tribulations, but God allows them for His purposes, so how does God use trials and troubles to help us learn how to trust Him? Why would anybody want to have a trial? Most of us naturally try to avoid pain and suffering, but God actually sees the good that comes out of these things in our life (Rom 8:28). Trials are painful; trials are challenging, and we are all, creatures of pleasure, meaning we gravitate towards things that feel good, and typically run away from things that cause pain. The challenge for us is to look at these problems as a blessing to be found within the trial. One song says we can face piles of trials with smiles.
Footprints in the Sand
The story of the Footprints in the Sand involves a person who chose Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and he saw his life as a journey…a pilgrimage; walking with Jesus day by day. He was walking through the sand, and since he is walking with Jesus Christ, there are two sets of footprints; his footprints and Jesus Christ’s. However, a little later he looks back and notices that when bad things were happening in his life, there were only one set of footprints. That’s when he asked Jesus, “Why is it that when I’m going through challenges, instead of you walking with me, I only see one set of footprints in the sand?” Jesus said, “When you were going through those challenges, I was the one carrying you and that’s why you only see one set of footprints.” At times, we may not even know Jesus is helping us.
Trust In Jesus
Dr. Billy would always say...."Just Trust in Jesus." The benefit of any trial, as painful as it may be, is it allows us an opportunity to trust in Jesus more. Each time we come through a dark night of the soul, our faith is strengthened because Jesus was with us the whole time, so our faith is somewhat like film; it’s best developed in the dark. We must learn to look at God as bigger than our problems. Whatever we’re confronting, whatever hurdle we’re trying to overcome, the power of the Being that spoke the universe into existence is with us, if we would only allow Him to display His power in our weakness. In other words, our relationship with Jesus Christ must take precedence over the pain, the challenge, the shame, and the humiliation that we may be facing. We all go through challenges. We live in a fallen world. Challenges come with the package of being alive, however, when we’re going through these painful chapters of the story of our lives, we begin to learn to trust Him more.
Carrying Us
The good news doesn’t end there. It’s not just a question of relying on Jesus’ strength to push us through and carry us through the difficult times. The Footprints in the Sand is about something more. Jesus, while carrying you through, changes you too. The bigger victory of some trial or trouble gives us more confidence to face the future. When Jesus is carrying you, and you’re living through those challenges, he is changing your character, so give Him permission to carry you. Give Him permission to change you as you and Christ go through this storm.
Nothing without Him
Jesus told the disciples, and by extension He tells us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). This simple truth is we can’t bear fruits of the Holy Spirit without God’s help. This is why Jesus said, “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4). No fruit was ever produced by any plant apart from the vine.
God of the StormGod is sovereign over the storm and the God that allowed the storm also uses it to steer the rudder of our life. The reason for that is so that He will steer our storm-tossed ship right into a safe harbor. He is not only the Captain of the Ship, as Creator, He is sovereign over the storm. We know that Jesus can calm the storm because He was the One Who created all things (John 1:3). When the disciples were in a terrible storm on the sea and their boat was in danger of sinking, “they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm” (Luke 8:24). Jesus, as God, can rebuke the wind, the waves and they must obey, and the storm must cease. The God of the Storm is the God we can trust in the storm, but notice it was Jesus’ will to send them into the storm!
Calm before the Storm
I’ve been in a few tornadoes in my life and noticed that just before the twisters are nearing, there is an eerie calm. The birds stop singing. The wind ceases, and it’s ominously quite; but then suddenly, it all breaks loose. Every Christian is in one of these three situations; they’ve just came out of a storm, they’re presently in a storm, or they’re heading onto one. What is pleasing to God is when we praise Him as much in the storm as we do in the calm before the storm.
A Storms Coming
If you’re not in a storm right now, you might as well prepare for one. How do you do that? Gird up the loins of your mind be being steeped in the Word of God, every day, day and night. Every believer is destined to pass through storms in life so it’s only a matter time; not if but when. We shouldn’t be surprised when they do come because they come for all. Once Jesus sent the disciples off in a boat, knowing a storm was approaching, but this gave God an opportunity to be glorified as Jesus rebuked the storm (Luke 8:24). He can do the same for yours.
In a Storm
While you’re in a storm, all you can do is pray to the God Who is sovereign over the storm. The storm can do nothing that God doesn’t allow and He can use evil for His own good purposes (Gen 50:20). When Joseph was thrown into prison twice, he trusted God in both circumstances, and it said of Joseph, time and again, “And the Lord was with Joseph” (Gen 39:21). Yes, the Lord was with Joseph, even in prison.
In the Calm
It’s so easy to forget about praying when things are going well, but this is exactly the time to be praying…in case another storm is headed your way, and we never know when they’re going to it. We need God as much during the calm as we do in the storm because we don’t know what’s coming around the blind corners of time. God alone knows what’s coming, and that should give us comfort. He is never surprised.
Conclusion
The Apostle Paul writes that we should “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess 5:18). God’s will is not some mysterious puzzle you must figure out. There are clear Scriptures that tell us what the will of God is and we know for sure that we should give thanks for all things, and that includes the good and the good times and the bad times (Rom 8:28). They are all working a great purpose in us, or God wouldn’t allow them.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
Last week we look at the External Evidence of the Bible so now....
What Internal Evidence Do We Have That the Bible Is the Word of God?
In the previous chapter, we looked at the two most important and explicit biblical texts regarding the nature of the Bible, and we concluded that the Bible is the very Word of God. In this chapter, we will look at evidence that supports this claim within the Bible itself.
Its unity. Even though the sixty-six different books of the Old and New Testaments were written by dozens of authors from different backgrounds, cultures, and levels of education, using three different languages over a period of more than 1,500 years, there is an amazing unity, continuity, and agreement throughout. What can explain this? That behind them all there is one source—God himself.
Fulfilled prophecy. In the Bible, there are many predictions of things that will happen in the future, and many of these predictions have already been fulfilled in very precise ways. These fall into the category of “internal evidence,” because the Bible itself accurately records many of these fulfillments. But some can be categorized “external evidence,” because many of these fulfillments can be confirmed by historical records outside the Bible. In the next chapter, we will provide some examples of fulfilled prophecies that have been documented outside of the Bible, but the following are some examples of prophecies that were fulfilled within the Scriptures, specifically concerning the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Isaiah predicted, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The fulfillment through the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary is recorded in Matthew 1:21–23, where Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14.
There are also amazing prophecies in the book of Psalms, specifically in the category of messianic psalms. For example, Psalm 22 contains many anticipations of the crucifixion of Jesus. When he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsake me?” (Matthew 27:46) he was quoting Psalm 22:1. This psalm also predicts the mocking of Jesus (v. 7; Matthew 27:39–43), the piercing of his hands and feet (v. 16; John 20:25), and the casting of lots in order to divide his clothing (v. 18; John 19:23–24).
Micah 5:2 predicted that the future ruler of Israel, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem. This was fulfilled, as recorded in Matthew 2:1. In fact, when the Magi, or wise men, came to inquire as to where they could find the newborn king of the Jews, King Herod’s advisors immediately referred to Micah 5:2 as the well-known prophecy of the birthplace of the Messiah (Matthew 2:4–6).
Jesus himself stated that the Old Testament prophets spoke of him and that what he did fulfilled those prophecies (Matthew 26:52–56; Luke 24:25–27, 44–45; John 5:39). Other New Testament writers acknowledged this. Matthew often quotes from the Old Testament and applies it to Jesus, as we saw above. John does this as well (John 19:36–37; 20:9).
There are hundreds of detailed prophecies throughout the Old Testament, all of which came true in Jesus Christ. How likely is it that so many such prophecies could be coincidentally fulfilled in a particular person in history? Peter W. Stone, in his book Science Speaks, examines the evidence. Starting with the round figure of 300 prophecies of the first coming of Jesus, he determines the probability of just sixteen of those coincidentally being fulfilled in one individual:
One in 1045. To help us better understand this enormous number, he says that this is the number of silver dollars in a solid ball with its center at the earth and its radius thirty times the distance between the earth and the sun. The chance that someone could choose one marked silver dollar from that ball on the first try is the same chance of sixteen of the prophecies of Jesus’ coming being fulfilled in one historical person. After computing the probability of this happening for forty-eight of the 300 prophecies (one in 10157!), Stone concludes, “This is not merely evidence, it is proof of the Bible’s inspiration by God—proof so definite that the universe is not large enough to hold the evidence.”
The resurrection of Jesus. This is one of many miracles recorded in the Bible, but it is also the most significant. If it could be proven that the historical, physical resurrection of Jesus never happened, the Bible would be thoroughly discredited. However, there is great evidence that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, exactly as Scripture claims he was. One piece of evidence is the willingness of his followers to die as witnesses of the living Jesus Christ, and almost all of them were, in fact, executed for this very reason.
Would they have died for something that they knew was a lie, especially in significant numbers? It is very unlikely. Another piece of evidence is the inability of those who disputed the resurrection to produce the body of Jesus, which had been buried in a sealed tomb guarded by Roman soldiers. In addition, there were not only a few, but many eyewitnesses of Jesus after his resurrection.
What is truly amazing about the biblical record of the resurrection of Jesus is that, unlike any other religion or philosophy, Christianity makes itself vulnerable to being proven false. The Bible makes the historical claim that Jesus really came back from the dead, not just spiritually but physically. If historians could show beyond a reasonable doubt that this did not happen in history, not only would the Bible be discredited, but Christianity as a whole would crumble! (1 Corinthians 15:1–19). However, this will never happen because the resurrection is true, not only in abstract theory, but in objective history.
Journalist Frank Morison set out to prove that the resurrection of Jesus never happened. As he did his research, he became convinced of the very opposite of what he had set out to demonstrate, and he was converted to Christianity. He wrote a book entitled Who Moved the Stone? The first chapter is called “The Book That Refused to Be Written.”
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
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