Key
Scripture:
2nd
Timothy 3.15-17 –
“And that from a
child thou hast
known the holy
scriptures, which
are able to make
thee wise unto
salvation through
faith which is in
Christ Jesus.
All scripture is
given by inspiration
of God, and is
profitable for
doctrine, for
reproof, for
correction, for
instruction in
righteousness:
That the man of God
may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished
unto all good
works.”
2nd
Peter 1.20-21 –
“Knowing this
first, that no
prophecy of the
scripture is of any
private
interpretation.
For the prophecy
came not in old time
by the will of man:
but holy men of God
spake as they were
moved by the Holy
Ghost.”
Hebrews
4.12 –
“For the word of God
is quick, and
powerful, and
sharper than any
two-edged sword,
piercing even to the
dividing asunder of
soul and spirit, and
of the joints and
marrow, and is a
discerner of the
thoughts and intents
of the heart.”
Ephesians
6.17 –
“And take the helmet
of salvation, and
the sword of the
Spirit, which is the
word of God…”
Jeremiah
23.29 –
“Is not my
word like as a fire?
saith the LORD; and
like a hammer that
breaketh the rock in
pieces?”
John 6.63,
68 –
“63It
is the spirit that
quickeneth; the
flesh profiteth
nothing: the words
that I speak unto
you, they are
spirit, and they are
life. 68Then
Simon Peter answered
him, Lord, to whom
shall we go? thou
hast the words of
eternal life.”
Is it hard
for you to read the
Bible? When
you sit down to read
the Bible, does it
seem difficult to
understand?
Is it hard to make
sense of the Bible?
How a person reads
the Bible makes the
difference when it
comes to
understanding what
the Bible Says.
How, then, can
someone read the
Bible and
understand?
What is the correct
way to read the
Bible.
To
Understand the
Bible, We Must
Understand What the
Bible Is.
The first way
to better understand
the Bible is to
understand what the
Bible actually is.
So what, exactly, is
the Bible? The
Bible is not like
any other book on
the face of the
Earth, first,
because it is really
a collection of
books and letters.
Secondly, the Bible
is divided between
the Old Testament
and the New
Testament.
Thirdly, the Bible
was written over the
course of about
3,000 years.
Fourthly, it was
penned by more than
40 different
writers.
Finally, though many
different people
wrote the Bible, it
was actually given
under the guidance
and inspiration of
God Himself.
Because of all of
this, the Bible is
set apart from other
books that can be
found on earth, and
that have ever been
written. It
is, in essence, more
than just a
collection of
stories bound
together between two
covers.
A Love
Letter from God
Himself
First and
foremost, the Bible
is a love letter.
Who likes love
letters, anyone?
When you get a love
letter from someone,
how do you feel?
The Bible is God’s
letter of love to
the people of the
world. Time
and time again
throughout the
Bible, God not only
tells about his
love, but he does
things to show his
love, as well.
We often hear the
phrase, “God is
Love”. Where
does that phrase
come from? It
comes from the truth
of the Bible, God’s
love letter.
The stories of how
God took care of the
Children of Israel
and of the different
people in the Old
Testament are really
stories telling
about his love.
The stories of Jesus
walking the earth,
doing miracles, and
teaching people is
God, again, showing
and living his love
out in the form of
Jesus Christ.
The Bible is God’s
letter of love to
people. John
3.16 tells about
God’s love, and why
Jesus came to the
Earth. The
Bible is God’s Love
Letter to people.
It’s
Alive!!!!!
Many times in
the classic monster
movies, a crazy
scientist will shout
with insane glee,
“It’s Alive!!!”
Though the Bible was
not written by a
crazy scientist, it
is, in fact, alive.
In John chapter 6,
Jesus himself states
that his words are
life, and Peter
later repeats this
later on in John 6.
The Bible is living,
and anyone who reads
it can and will
receive the life
that it has.
Unlike other books,
which may tell of
live, or describe
life, the Bible
gives life to all
who will come and
read. In fact,
Jesus later states
that the Bible is as
important as
physical food; the
Bible is food for
the spirit, and it
is living water for
the soul. The
Bible is living!
It is alive!
The Bible
is a Tool
Does anyone
have a favorite
tool? Maybe a
teacher has a book
that is vital to
teaching.
Perhaps a gardener
has a shovel or a
rake that is
essential to his or
her garden. A
farmer may have a
favorite horse or
tractor. Do
you have a favorite
tool for your work
or job? The
Bible, too, is a
tool. Jeremiah
Chapter 23 says that
the Bible is like a
hammer. What
do workers do with a
hammer?
Builders use hammers
to pound in nails.
Other workers use
hammers to break
rocks or other
things that are in
need of breaking up.
Jeremiah 23 also
says that the Bible
is like a fire.
How do workers use
fire? Fire is
a cleaner, as it
burns off things
that are dirty.
In the same way, the
Bible can burn away
bad things in our
life like a fire
does. Also,
like a fire, the
Bible shines light
into our spirits.
It shows us the dark
areas of our lives
that need change.
It lights up the
dark places and
gives the light of
Jesus Christ.
The Bible is
definitely a tool,
and a useful one.
The Bible
is a Weapon
What kinds of
weapons are there in
the world today?
What kinds of
weapons are famous
in Japan? Many people, when
thinking of Japan, imagine a
katana or a
wakizashi.
The Bible is also a
weapon. Just
as fire and hammers
are tools, they are
also weapons, but
even more-so, the
Bible is like a
sword. Hebrews
four says that the
Bible is quick,
powerful, and
sharper than any
two-edged sword.
Hebrews also says
that the Bible is so
sharp that it can
divide the soul and
spirit.
Further, Ephesians 6
calls the Bible the
“sword of the
Spirit”.
Looking at Matthew
and Luke, when Jesus
was tempted for
forty days in the
desert, what did he
do to fight?
How did Jesus make
the devil go away?
Jesus used the Word
of God, the Bible!
We need to remember
that the Bible is a
weapon, and we must
use it carefully.
How Do We
Read the Bible?
Now that we
know what the Bible
is, it is important
to know how to read
the Bible.
Many people choose
many different ways
to read the Bible.
Because of this,
many people have
many different
interpretations of
what the Bible says.
When reading the
Bible, it is
important to
remember these
things:
1.
Ask for Help!
Pray!
The first
thing to do when
trying to read the
Bible, is to ask for
help. Maybe
you are thinking to
ask the pastor for
help, or from a
Bible Teacher.
Though this kind of
help is good, the
best help to ask for
is from God.
Before reading the
Bible, ask for help
from God:
pray! James
chapter 1 states
that if we ask God
for wisdom, he will
give it to us.
When we read the
Bible, we need to
ask for God’s help
to understand it!
Second Peter states
that this is what
the prophets of old
did. They
received the
messages of God from
the Holy Ghost.
In the same way,
when we read the
Bible we, too, need
the help of the Holy
Ghost. Before
reading the Bible,
the best thing to do
is pray before
starting. Ask
God to help you
understand the
Bible, and he will
help you.
2.
Don’t Read
Cover-to-Cover
When you read
a book, what page do
you start with?
Where do you end?
Usually, people read
from page one to the
last page.
This can be done
with the Bible, as
well, but it isn’t
always the best way.
For beginners, the
best place to start
reading the Bible is
with the Gospel of
John? Why
John? Reading
the Gospel of John
will give the reader
a good idea of Who
Jesus is and Who God
is. After
John, go to Matthew
and read the rest of
the Gospels, then go
to Acts.
Again, reading these
Books of the Bible
first will give the
reader a good sense
of what God is all
about and who Jesus
Is.
3.
Rome
Wasn’t Built in One
Day
Do you know
this phrase, this
idiom? Do you
know what it means?
It means that when
doing a big project,
go slowly, and take
one’s time. In
Exodus, God told the
Children of Israel
that they would not
take the Promised
Land right away.
He said that they
would take over Canaan “little by little”. In the same way, reading
the Bible needs to
be done slowly.
For the beginner,
the best way is to
read one chapter
every day.
Some chapters will
be long, and some
short, but it is
best to start with
one chapter per day.
Later, after reading
the Bible is easier
and better to
understand, reading
two chapters, then
three, and so forth
is okay.
However, in the
beginning, try to
read one chapter
every day.
Spend about 15
minutes and read one
chapter a day.
Conclusion
– Reading the Bible
Doesn’t Have to be
Rocket Science
Friends, it
really is easy to
read the Bible.
It does not have to
be difficult.
People make the
Bible difficult when
they try without
help. If we
will take our time,
ask God to help us
understand, and get
to know God through
the Gospels, we can
understand the Bible
the way God wants us
to. Let us
pray.
Prayer –
Father in heaven,
please help us to
read your word.
Please help us to
understand what you
are saying.
Please help us,
Lord, to know your
word. Give us
the wisdom, we pray,
to hear what you are
saying in the Bible.
We ask this in
Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Verse to
Remember:
“Thy
word is a lamp unto
my feet, and a light
unto my path.”
– Psalm
119.105