LESSON FOUR
STUDY AND PRACTICE OF THE WORD OF GOD
INTRODUCTION
Psalm 119:15 says, “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.” Reading the Bible can sometimes seem overwhelming. We know that we are commanded to read and study His Word. So there must be a way to do so which can cause it to sink down deep into our souls and help us to grow and flourish.
Golden
Truth (Psalm 1:1,2)
V. 1—Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor
sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
V. 2—But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
LESSON
EXPOSITION
I. Studying The Word (2 Tim. 2:15)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Paul is telling Timothy to study the Bible so that he doesn’t have to be ashamed before Jesus or others for his lack of knowledge. He wanted him to be a worker for the Lord who studied the Scriptures and could rightly divide them. Rightly dividing the Word of truth means that you don’t just read one Scripture and say, “Aha! That means I can do this or that!” Rightly dividing the Word of truth means reading the Bible and putting the Scriptures together to understand what they mean, reading them in the proper context. Some things are very easy to understand and others take time and intense prayer, and study, and Holy Ghost guidance to understand. Over time, by reading, studying and praying for understanding, God is able to reveal the deep things of the Word. The following list of ideas will help us in studying the Word of God.
Develop A Routine. It is essential to develop a routine (the regular practice of something) in your Bible study. The purpose in having a routine is to make sure that it becomes a habit to read and study every single day. This is essential to your walk with the Lord. Every Bible study should be preceded with prayer, asking God to open up His Word and give divine inspiration as to its meaning.
Choose A Place to Study. The place of study should be peaceful and quiet allowing you to think about what you are reading. If you fall asleep easily when reading, it is not a good idea to study lying down; a chair in a well-lit room would be better. Some people like to sit on the floor while they study. Whatever way is best for you is the right way.
The Best Time To Study. The best time to study is when you are most rested and alert. Be sure not to put off studying until the last minutes of the day. This will cause you to rush through the Scriptures not giving you time to really study. Starting your day with prayer and study will help get your day off to a good start and will sometimes give you something to witness about at some point during that day.
Know what to Study. There are many ways to choose what to study. (1) Character studies about a particular person (ex. David or Paul). (2) Topical Studies about a specific topic (ex. A topic might be restitution, or the upcoming week’s Sunday School lesson or read a tract and study the Scripture references as you study the topic of the tract). (3) Passage studies reading and studying the ins and outs of a whole chapter or several verses (ex. Proverbs 31 or 1 John 2:15-17). (4) Whole book studies Start by reading a book of the Bible through several passages at a time, studying, researching and cross-referencing the different passages within the book as you go (ex. James or Ephesians). (5) Pastor’s message studies using the detailed notes of the pastor’s Sunday sermons and studying these out in detail throughout the next week. (6) The whole Bible in 1 to 3 years reading a set number of chapters everyday pausing throughout to reflect/study upon what is read in small passages at a time. (7) Devotionals are a wonderful way to begin or end the day and can serve as encouragement in our walk with the Lord. These cannot take the place of deep study of God’s Word, but can help point us in the direction of our Bible reading and study for the day or as a supplement to our studies.
No matter which approach is taken to studying the Bible, it is important to remember to allow God to direct the areas of Bible study rather than just randomly reading.
Think About What You Read. While reading (always using the Authorized King James Version Bible, of course), keep in mind the who, what, when, why and how of what you read. Who wrote the verses? This is many times apparent by reading the first few verses of the book. What does it seem that the person was trying to get across to his readers? Where was the person living when he wrote the words and where were his readers from at the time of the writing? Approximately when did the writing take place? Why might the author have penned the words? How do the words apply to us today? How can you remember them? (Many study Bibles have comments at the beginning of each book of the Bible. These usually tell the author of the book, the time of the writing, etc.)
Above all, remember that we must take the whole Bible rightly divided not taking things out of conte3xt. If something doesn’t make sense, pray about it, research other verses and passages about the same thing. Ask your pastor/teacher/band leader or someone else studied in the Word of God to explain it.
Another help is to always carry a Bible to church and follow along in the Bible; make notes in the margins by the Scriptures as the minister preaches or the teacher teaches. Later, when studying these notes can be of great help to bringing thoughts back to mind. If you are one who does not like to mark up your Bible, have note paper handy to make notes on. These can be filed away later for future reference.
II. Applying
The Process
(1 Tim. 4:12-13)
V. 12—Let no man despise they youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation,
in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
V. 13—Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Timothy was a young man who was called to be a minister. God calls some to be teachers or preachers of His Word, just like He did with Timothy. Regardless, though, we are all called to share God’s Word with others, no matter how young or old we are, in order to, “…be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” We are to be examples to others in everything that we do—with the words we say and in the things we do. God’s Word gives us direction as to the example we are to be. If we do not spend time in studying the Bible, how are we to know what God expects? Apostle Paul tells Timothy to be an example to others in charity. Charity is love in ACTION. That means not to just say we love, but to allow our actions to prove our love for others and for God. We have to do things that are pleasing to the Lord and do them in the right spirit, being faithful and living a holy life free from sin. Others will see how we live and can follow our good example. “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:13). Apostle Paul was like a mentor to Timothy. He loved him like a son and was encouraging him to keep up the good work of reading and studying the Scriptures. Paul also wanted him to exhort others, or to urge them to be obedient to the Lord as well. He wanted Timothy to stick to the doctrine, or the Word of God.
III. Scripture Memorization
(Deut. 6:6-9)
V. 6--And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
V.
7--And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
V. 8--And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand,
and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
V. 9--And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Another thing that is a great blessing is to memorize Scriptures, maybe one each week. God will bring these to mind at times when they are needed for encouragement, strength, or when witnessing to someone. How can we memorize? Reading the verse over several times will help. Some find setting the verse to a tune and singing it helps them to commit the words to memory. By whatever means necessary, nothing can take the place of committing Scripture to memory!
CONCLUSION
The main things are to combine PRAYER that God will point our study of the Bible to the right direction while developing a REGULAR TIME to study. These two things are vital to the Christian walk. Studying the Bible gives us things to pray about as well as things to put into practice. It takes time to learn and develop the habit of studying, so we must not give up! Develop a routine, choose a place, find the best time, decide what to study, use the Authorized King James Version Bible, think about what is read, and put it all into practice!