Sunday, January 24, 2010

How to Study God’s Word – Part 2

Why is it important to know how to study God's Word? As we saw in part 1 of this message, if the Word of God is not studied rightly divided, we will be broken, snared and taken (by the Devil.)

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Isaiah 28:9-14

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15

I dare say none of us wants to be taken captive by the Devil, so let's do all that we do according to God' will and not our own. Looking further in the scriptures, the prophet Hosea tells us:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

We must obtain the knowledge of God through His Word, or we will be destroyed. In a very sobering verse of scripture, Jesus tells us emphatically:

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 (also Luke4:4).

By reading, studying and understanding the Bible, rightly divided, we see that Old Testament writings also speak the same things in Moses' account.

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Deuteronomy 8:3

It is made clear to us that God's Word is of the utmost importance to us, when Jesus and Moses both tell us to live by every Word of God. Also, our beloved Apostle Peter, by the Holy Ghost, gave us this word of wisdom:

And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. II Peter 3:15-16

In order for us to get the true direction from the Holy Scriptures, we must always study and memorize the Word of God, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little, so that afterwards we can get that rest and refreshing that Almighty God wants us to have. All that we do, we should always do as unto the Lord, and do what we do, not after our own will or ways, but according to our great God, and our master and Savior Jesus Christ. God bless you and open your understanding to the whole truth of God's Word in Jesus' name, Amen.