Read The Instructions Series

Spiritual Disciplines Series: Read The Instructions - Bible Study

INTRO: Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.

The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They talked among themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified.

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, “Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled.”

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, “Wait a minute, I don’t understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That’s not fair!”

The employer said, “I’m sorry, but all the time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: ‘If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.’ None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his.”

I think many of us make the same mistake when it comes to Bible study. We study the Bible but we are not really listening for God’s voice and therefore we do not understand what He wants to say to us. We are easily distracted by busyness and the countless distractions all around us. God has spoken, and He wants to speak to you, but are you listening for His voice?

Tonight we are going to talk about Bible study. I want to answer two questions: Why study the Bible? And How to study the Bible?

"...there’s a translation of Scriptures that this guy Eugene Peterson has undertaken. It has been a great strength to me. He’s a poet and a scholar, and he’s brought the text back to the tone in which the books were written." Bono

“Americans need to read the Bible. Even more, they need to study it. It is the cornerstone of freedom, the foundation of idealism, and the key to abundant living.” Billy Graham

I came up with 5 reasons why we should study the Bible

1. It’s divine (2 Tim. 3:16 “all Scripture is God-breathed…”; Heb. 4:12)

It’s from God and it tells us who God is, what God is like, what God desires, what God offers, and most importantly, how we can know God personally.

God gave it to us, God gave it to you. It deserves a healthy and humble respect.

2. It’s truth (Jn. 17:17)

Let’s play a game of true or false.

1. a penny dropped from the top of the Empire State Building will embed itself in the pavement. (F)

2. You can send a coconut through the mail without wrapping it. (T)

3. If you college roommate commits suicide, you get automatic A’s in all your courses. (F)

4. Koalas are always stoned from ingesting the alcohol in eucalyptus leaves. (F)

5. A woman adopted a stray dog in Tijuana, Mexico and later discovered it was a sewer rat. (F)

6. Some Oregon highway workers blew up a whale and showered the town with whale blubber. (T)

7. You can tell if a big operation is under way at the White House by the level of pizza orders that come from there. (F)

The Bible is not just partly true….it’s totally true. Jesus said “Santify them by the truth, Your Word is truth” Jn. 17:17

3. It’s our map (Ps. 119:105) The Bible not only shows us how to know God but it also tells us how we should live. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

ILL- Driving to Dad’s took 23 West instead of 23 East (failed to use a map and common sense)

“When you have read the Bible, you will know it is the Word of God, because you will have found in it the key to your own heart, your own happiness and your own duty.” Woodrow Wilson