Gideon’s video to begin the message in the second and third worship service. I am grateful for the Gideon’s worldwide ministry because these volunteer men placed copies of God’s Word in hands of students and in hotel rooms. These businessmen are a part of our church and churches all over the nation. I want you to pray for their work as they seek open doors, open churches, and for men to join their efforts. Secondly, if you wish to donate to place Bibles in the hands of those who need them, you will see men standing at the rear of the worship center this morning with an open Bible. I am grateful for these men and their work.
We conclude a summer sermon series designed to empower your spiritual growth. And we focus this morning on the one spiritual habit that will move the needle for your growth – adopting a personal habit of reading the Bible. Take your copy of God’s Word and turn to 2 Peter 1 or page 1299 in the pew Bibles in front of you. Spiritual growth happens through “little advances.” God has designed your growth to happen through spiritual the disciples such as Bible study, prayer & fasting, and attending worship regularly. Believer, you have a purpose in life and your purpose is to become “a little Christ.” Your primary way to power your growth is to engage the Bible.
1. Why Does Bible Study Matter?
Bible study matters because this is the only book God has written.
Today’s Scripture
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:16–21).
Let’s walk through this argument step by step.
1.1 Jesus’ Second Coming
Peter first tells what the apostles’ writings are not: they are not “cleverly devised myths” in verse sixteen. When Peter says “we” in verse sixteen, he means the apostles. An apostle is one of the original twelve followers of Jesus plus Paul. Jesus chose and named the apostles – they were His men to select. The word “apostle” means “a sent one” and these men were sent all over the known world representing Jesus Christ.
Peter will tell the believers in his day to remember “… the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles” (2 Peter 3:2b). Did you know that everyone of the twenty-seven books that make up the New Testament have a connection to an apostle? That is, if you wanted your book to be included in the collection of twenty-seven books that make up the New Testament, then your book would have to be endorsed by an apostle. Every single book of the New Testament is either written by an apostle or was endorsed by an apostle.
So Peter says in effect, “We’re not making up myths about the coming of Jesus Christ.” The word “coming” in verse sixteen is the word parousia which many of you recognize. This word parousia always refers to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The Bible teaches that just as Jesus came nearly 2,000 years ago to live, die for our sins, and raise from the dead… … He will come again to bring an end to history and judge every person – this is called the Second Coming.
1.2 Your Confidence in New Testament
Why are you to have confidence in the apostles’ writings, the New Testament? Why are you to have confidence in the apostles? The reason the apostles can be trusted is because they were eyewitnesses to Jesus Himself. Look at verse seventeen: “For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:17-18). Peter is recalling the time when Jesus’ appearance changed, when Jesus was transfigured. Peter says in effect, “We saw the preview of Jesus’ Second Coming on that holy mountain. James, John, and me heard the very voice of the Father so you can trust us. We were there, we heard the voice, and we saw His glory. And so we can know for sure Jesus has the necessary power, glory, and authority to return. The Transfiguration leaves us with no questions about Jesus’ abilities.” You can be confident in Jesus’ return because the apostles were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ transfiguration and this was a preview of the glory of the Second Coming of Christ.
Peter moves from a tight circle where he’s speaking about predictions of the Second Coming of Jesus to a larger circle where he speaks about all of Scripture in verse twenty: “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20). He’s moved from specific predictions in the Bible about the Second Coming to now include all of Scripture. Verse twenty says to us essentially, “No individual is entitled to interpret prophecy, or any Scripture for that matter, according to your personal whim.” Peter says in effect, “You cannot take twist the Scriptures to suit your needs.” Now add verse twenty-one that says, prophecy doesn’t come from humans but prophecy comes from God Himself.
Now, you might say, “Pastor, when Peter mentions Scripture, he’s speaking of the Old Testament because the Old Testament is the Scriptures for him. So you cannot tell me the New Testament comes from God from verse twenty & twenty-one.” Flip over to 2 Peter 3 – just turn over a page where we read this: “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:15–16). Paul did not write Old Testament Scripture. No, Paul was a contemporary to Peter and he wasn’t alive when the Old Testament was written. Paul wrote thirteen letters of the New Testament but note what Peter is doing here. While the New Testament is being written, Peter is already elevating the writings of Paul on par with the Old Testament. That is remarkable for a good Jewish religious man to elevate any person’s writing alongside the elevated status of the Old Testament. In fact, it’s simply shocking for this to occur.
Today, you’ll hear a skeptic say, “The Bible is just a book written by a bunch of men a longtime ago.” But the earliest witnesses closest to Jesus say something entirely different. Three times Peter denies that men just made up the New Testament. They tell us that the New Testament is not “cleverly devised myths” in verse sixteen and “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation” in verse twenty. And lastly, the New Testament is not “produced by the will of man” in verse twenty-one. Instead, the New Testament is produced by “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21b). Yes, the New Testament is from human beings but it ultimately from “men who spoke from God.” Again, Human beings did write the Bible and you can see their different respective personalities shine forth as you turn the pages… …but the collection of twenty-seven books ultimately came from God. Underscore these forceful words in verse twenty-one “men who spoke from God.”
1.3 What about the Old Testament?
Let’s quote Jesus here because Jesus is talking about how the religious teachers of His day are killing every one of the prophets God sends their way: “so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar” (Matthew 23:35). Jesus names two martyrs – first, Abel which is mentioned in Genesis 4:10, and the son of Adam and Eve. Then Jesus mentions Zechariah, a priest who spoke as a prophet and is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 24:20-22 where he was stoned to death. Jesus is then mentioning the first and last murders in His Bible, our Old Testament. Now, the Christian Old Testament sequence starts with Genesis and ends with Malachi but our Jewish friends start with Genesis and end with our 2 Chronicles. We agree with our Jewish friends on what should be in the Old Testament but the Jewish people switch the order to end with 2 Chronicles. And we know that our Old Testament is also the Old Testament that Jesus recognized.
So both New Testament and Old Testament come together for us. Bible study matters because this is the only book God has written. God’s Book changes our lives when do what it says, we slowly become “little Christ[s].”
1. Why Does Bible Study Matter?
2. How Do I Actually Do Bible Study?
2.1 It’s a Personal Habit
In 2008, Lifeway followed 2,500 believers like you for a year to see what helped their faith grow. Reading the Bible is the number one predictor for spiritual growth. Then in a separate 2012 survey of 280,000 people from over 1,200 churches, ranging from 100 in attendance to 5,000 in attendance… … and this is what they discovered: “Hands down. No contest. When it comes to spiritual growth, nothing beats the Bible.”
These surveys were surprising for another factor: some spiritual disciplines do not impact the others. For example, when people practiced one spiritual discipline whether it be prayer, corporate worship, serving, giving, or even evangelism … the practice of this one habit did not create momentum in a believer to engage in another spiritual discipline. But when people practiced reading their Bibles, there was momentum other spiritual habits as well. This truth is simple and straightforward: you will simply not grow if you fail know God and to spend time reading God’s Word. Reading the Bible is the number one predictor for spiritual growth.
1.2 Bible Reading Frequency
The challenge is few of us are reading the Bible. Recent surveys have asked how often they personally (not as part of a church worship service) read the Bible and here’s what people just like you have said. Thirty-two percent say, “Every Day” and twelve percent say “Rarely/Never.” About of one-fourth of church-going people indicate they read the Bible a few times a week. Another twelve percent say they read the Bible "Once a Week" and another sixteen percent say “Once a Month” or “A Few Times a Month.” When surveyors probed a little to identify what the most significant barriers were to people reading the Bible, by far the number one response was: they never seem to have enough time. If you will turn up the volume on your Bible reading then you are much more likely to be a “little Christ.”
1.3 You Need a Plan
Now, everyone here has selected one of three Bible reading plans at some point in their life:
1.3.1 “When I Have A Need” Reading Plan
Many of us start here because the Bible is a big book and it’s confusing. So, we open it when we have a need. You may find an index in the back of some Bibles that tells you where to turn when you have a need. We’re feeling lonely so we read a verse on loneliness.
1.3.2 “Flip Open” Bible Reading Plan
Again, most of us have done this at one time or another. We flip open the Bible and simply read to whatever is there. This is not a good practice because we don’t know what we’re reading. This is so haphazard.
Systematic Reading Plans
You need to adopt an organized plan for reading the Bible. If you want to get from “rarely/never” reading the Bible, to really growing, then adopt an organized plan to read your Bible. Some plans will allow you to read for breadth where you read the Bible from cover to cover in a year. Some plans will allow you to read for depth where you read Philippians again and again over a thirty day period. Vary it up – read for breadth and depth.
I would encourage you to Google “Bible reading plans” and you’ll find a number of good options. Of, ask a spiritual mentor for some assistance here.
Here some tips….
1.3.1 A Physical Copy
Often, having a physical copy of the Bible will help you if you become easily distracted. There are great aspects to Bible apps but if you are not careful, your notifications settings will take you to something else. So consider if a physical copy of God’s Word is best for you. If you’re not a reader - someone says, “But I don’t like to read” – then you Bible apps will actually read the Bible out loud for you. Sometimes I will read while hearing it read for me. Be careful that you don’t become distracted if you use an app.
1.3.2 A Good Translation
Which English translation should you choose? Let’s look at a chart that may help you (place on screens). Consider a “Word for Word” translation of the Bible. Under “Word for Word,” the Bible translators have taken greater care to translate the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into English (NASB, NKJV, CSB, etc). When you to the middle of this chart, “Thought for Thought,” then you have generally exchanged some accuracy for readability. There are numerous good options here including the English Standard Version (ESV). I have asked all of our staff to use the ESV because has a good balance of accuracy with the original languages and it’s readable.
If fact, limited quantities of the ESV are available in large print in our library for purchase. But if you need a copy of God’s Word, we have Bibles for you for free in the Encourager’s Room.
1. Why Does Bible Study Matter?
2. How Do I Actually Do Bible Study?
3. What Is My Ultimate Motivation For Bible Study?
My ultimate motivation is to know Jesus Christ. The primary mission of the Bible is to form me into the image of Jesus Christ, or a “little Christ.”
Testimony from Martha Bass
When my youngest started kindergarten, I was introduced to a concept that took my spiritual growth and prayer life to another level. I was invited to join a group of Moms who pray weekly for our kids, our schools and community. ( I am still a part of this group today.) My goal at the time was kind of selfish. I was going to pray my children into a place of protection, security and preparation for being contributing members of society. Well, I am here to tell you accomplished that - which seems enormous - ....but what I have learned from the journey has accomplished so much MORE!
The hour spent in prayer each week with these moms solely focused on using SCRIPTURE as the basis for our personal prayers. We praised God for His attributes listed in scripture ... like sovereignty, all-powerful, healer etc. We confessed using scripture and asked God to "create in us clean hearts and renew right spirits" Psalm 51:10. We thanked God for answered prayers and blessings, and ways He worked out even difficult, disruptive times; and we asked Him for specific needs and qualities in our children's lives using scripture- including that they would be saved - Ezekiel 11:19; would not grow weary in doing good -Galatians 6:9; would be strong and courageous- Joshua 1:9 and flee from evil in this world we live in- 2 Timothy 2:22, just for examples.
As a result of praying God's word, my knowledge of scripture increased tremendously, but I also found my desire to read my Bible and know scripture grew too!
As I read my Bible more, I would see and mark scriptures throughout that I could use as prayers- for me and for those in my life. I found praying scripture helped me to stay focused on God’s truth and will, and not on my wants, thoughts and desires. As a result, reading scripture and praying daily like this drew me nearer to God.
Reading scripture was my opportunity to really understand the heart of God and develop a deeper relationship with Him. (You can't really know someone if you don't spend time with them.) Using God's own words in my prayers was now MY tool to win battles over Satan's power in my life, and gave me the strength and faith to get through each day without being overwhelmed by worry.
Even when devastating circumstances arose in our lives, I was better prepared to receive His strength, grace and peace to carry on as well as help others.
(I began to understand that worry happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus. Worrying says we don't think or trust that God can handle whatever it is we are worried about. Wait! I learned from scripture that God is Almighty, All-powerful, All-knowing, Creator of the Universe and everything in it, Provider, Protector, Always Loving, and on and on...Hmmm...I must remember that someone like THAT CAN handle whatever devastating or challenging circumstances we may face! Whoa! He handled so many scary, difficult, heartbreaking times in my life....ask me later and I will tell you about all of them. Yet, one recent event He could handle was my distress and anguish when my 23 year old faced Hodgkin's Lymphoma and months of chemo and harsh life changes. We both were scared and angry. I felt I had no control in the situation...powerless to help my child. My heart cried out and questioned God and His love even when my head said not to. In those times, so many scriptures were prayed including Isaiah 41:10... So, Martha and Caitlin, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. This is my testimony! He has and continues to faithfully handle everything that comes my way...I just have to REMEMBER His promises IN SCRIPTURE, ASK Him to, and then LET Him handle it!
Prayer, and specifically praying scripture changes us and those around us. (I once overheard one of my children telling their friends. "No, we can't do that. My mom prays that I will get caught." ) I have found when I spend time with God, He works to change my heart to be more like His. The more time I spend time in His word, the more I want what He wants, and the more I know WHAT to want... for myself and my family. As a result of knowing His word, His Spirit helps me change my habits and lifestyle so that I am less-self-centered, and more focused on Him and others, sincerely. I can assure you, it is a process that continues every day...I have not arrived, but I've found starting small and taking it day by day leads me to a more peace and joy-filled life! Absolutely!
The primary mission of the Bible is to form me into the image of Jesus Christ, or a “little Christ.” If God accuses me of wrongdoing, then I respond with repentance. If the Lord praises me, then I respond with gratitude and joy. If He warns me of danger, then I thank Him for His protection. If God commands me to do something, then I ask Him for help to accomplish the command. If God makes me a promise, I marvel at His power and trust Him to do what He says. And if God tells me something about Himself, then I worship Him. The Bible speaks to us about our need for Jesus and His grace. It speaks to us about the Son of God who died for sinners and our need to embrace Christ by faith.
