When someone asks you to pray for them, what do you pray?
“Lord bless Brother Joe, Lord bless Sister Susie?
Do you stumble around, or have a loss of words to pray?
Do you have a clue as to what is going on in their lives that need prayer?
I have come across four prayers in the New Testament, two in Ephesians, one in Colossians, and one in Philippians that can revolutionize your prayer life.
Not only can you pray these prayers for others, you can pray them over your life.
We will do a study of each of the four prayers in the New Testament that can be a creative approach to your prayer life.
In my own life, I pray them over my life every day, and I also pray them over members of my church and other brothers and sisters in the Lord that I know.
In praying these prayers, you are praying the Word of God.
Isaiah 55:9-11 says that the Word (the rhema of God) that goes forth out of His mouth does not return to Him void, but will accomplish what the Word was sent out to do.
By speaking the Word of God over people, you are prophesying over their lives, and when you pray these passages of Scripture over yourself, you are prophesying over your life. You are also speaking a blessing over them and over your self.
We are going to look at each of these four passages of Scripture and dig into them and find out what we are praying.
Our first passage of Scripture is found in Ephesians 1:16-19:
“For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.”
‘For his reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, the people of God, I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. For I always pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, of insight into mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him. By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich in His glorious inheritance in the saints, His set apart ones. And so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” (The Amplified Bible)
Paul prayed 2 things in this prayer:
ONE: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
TWO: “That the eyes of your heart may be (being) enlightened to know 3 things:
1. “What is the hope of His calling.”
2. “What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
3. “What is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
So let’s dissect this passage and find out what exactly Paul is praying for the Ephesians.
Believers have already been sealed in the Holy Spirit at the time of their conversion.
This prayer, therefore, is not for the Holy Spirit Himself, but for a spirit of wisdom and revelation, which is a special gift, manifestation, or application of the Holy Spirit.
The Amplified Bible reads “ For I always pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation (of insight into mysteries and secrets) in the (deep and intimate) knowledge of Him.”
He prays that the Holy Spirit will give them a spirit of comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of Jesus and of insight into the mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him.
The first request in this prayer is that God will give believers the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better.
It is a knowing that has to come by revelation, and not head knowledge.
You can know about someone, but never really know him or her until they reveal things about themselves. Only the person can reveal things about himself, and when he does, you come to know that person in a different way. You can know about Jesus, and not really know Him. Until He reveals Himself to you, you will not have an intimate knowledge about Him. You will only have head knowledge about Him.
There is an interesting passage in Psalm 103:7 that says God made known His ways to Moses, and His deeds to the people of Israel. Moses had an intimate knowledge of God. He understood God’s ways of doing things. He had a revelation of God. When you understand the ways of God, it makes is easier to go through tests and trials because you understand His ways of doing things. As you seek Him, He will reveal more of Himself to you. I would rather want to know the ways of God. When you know His ways, you will experience His mighty deeds.
In Colossians 1:9 Paul prays, “ that you may be filled with the (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom (in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things. (Amplified Bible)
Wisdom is far more than just having a lot of information stuffed in your head.
It is the divine ability of God to correctly use the knowledge that you have.
I like what the Amplified Bible calls wisdom, “comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God.”
Colossians 2:3 says that in Christ is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. If Christ is in you, then where are the treasures of wisdom and knowledge?
IN YOU. You have to learn how to tap into it. It’s like an underground river.
I read a story about farmer that lived in the Texas panhandle, which is an area like a desert. Farming was extremely hard to do because of the lack of water. This farmer had a son who went off to college and majored in geology. When he came back home he told his father that there was an underground river right beneath his property. Sure enough, when they drilled down, they tapped into that river and his crops were the only ones that flourished in that area.
The same is true for us. We have to tap into the river of God’s wisdom that is in us.
We also have the Holy Spirit to reveal the wisdom we need. We have the gift of Someone who knows everything, who can reveal, guide, and lead us into all truth and the wisdom of God living right inside of us. All you have to do is ask.
James 1:5-6 tells us that if we lack wisdom in a situation, we are to ask God for His wisdom and He will liberally give it to us.
We have to pray long enough in the Spirit until we tap into the well of wisdom that is in us. I asked the Lord one time how long do I have to pray. His reply was, “until you get the answer.”
I have listened to a series of tapes by a well known minister titled, Wisdom, the Principle Thing. It has revolutionized the way I pray. I used to pray what I call shotgun prayers. You shoot a bunch of prayers up to heaven and hope God answers one of them. I just said of bunch of words that seemed to be praying. After I listened to these tapes, and read a book by Dutch Sheets, titled, “Intercessory Prayer” my prayer life changed. I now first seek God’s wisdom in the situation, and listen for Him to tell me how to pray for the situation, and give me understanding and insight as to what is really going on. Now, I do not say a lot, but I listen for the Holy Spirit to direct my prayer, and pray in the Spirit. I also put on worship music to create the atmosphere of worship. When I hear from the Holy Spirit, I pray the way He tells me to.
The Lord gave me an illustration that will help you. If you take a coin, and only look at one side of it, that is all you can see. You cannot see the other side. However, God can see both sides of the coin, and if you will seek His wisdom, He will show you the side you cannot see and the solution.
If you will seek God’s wisdom in praying for people, whether it be for salvation, or tests and trials they are going through, or for whatever reason, not only will you get insight into their lives, but God will show you how to pray for them that will get results.
When you seek God’s wisdom, you will come to know Him better because you know His ways.
Read and meditate on Proverbs 4.
So in this first part, Paul is praying for the Ephesians to receive:
1. Wisdom, comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of Jesus.
2. Revelation, insight into mysteries and secrets in the deep intimate knowledge of Him, or revelation knowledge of Him.
Next Paul prays “that the eyes of your heart may be (being) enlightened”
This illumination takes place, literally, in the “eyes of your heart.”
In biblical language, the “heart” is a comprehensive term used for the entire inward self or personality of an individual, including intellect, will, and emotions.
Being enlightened by the light of God’s truth affects one’s entire inward being.
I like what it says in The Amplified Bible, “being flooded with light.”
It’s like going into a dark room where you can’t see a thing, and then you turn the light switch on and the room is flooded with light. You can see.
Before you were born again, your spirit was in darkness. When you got born again, your spirit got flooded with light, the light of the Word. We have all used the expression at some point in time, “I’ve seen the light.”
The word for enlightened in the Greek is a perfect passive participle that denotes completed action, a present state that has resulted from past action.
The tense of the verb here prohibits taking “enlightenment” in a progressive sense, that is, as becoming more and more enlightened.
In the NT the verb “photizein” (“to give light, “to illuminate”) and the noun “photismos”(“enlightenment,” “illumination”) are used to express the results of spiritual encounter.
Illumination comes through the reception of the gospel.
Illumination comes through the reception of the Word!
Psalm 119:130 says “the unfolding (the entrance) of Your Word gives light, it gives understanding to the simple.”
Psalm 119: 105 say, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light to my path.”
Darkness can also refer to ignorance. We have used the expression, “I am in the dark” when we do know something. Light can also refer to understanding. When we have been ignorant of something and then get an understanding of it, we say, “I have seen the light.” Revelation brings understanding, especially of spiritual things.
You cannot understand the Bible with your natural mind. It takes a revelation from God for you to understand it. That is why He sent the Holy Spirit, to reveal the Word of God to you. It takes a revelation from God for you to understand Him, His ways, and all that He has for you. It also renews your mind. You get a revelation by meditating on the Word.
There are three things in this passage of Scripture to know:
ONE: What is the hope of His calling.
Hope in this verse (Greek word “elpsi”) is not some wishy-washy “hope so” desire, but a firm expectation, “the looking forward to something with some reason for confidence respecting fulfillment, hope, expectation.”
This is eager watchfulness.
We can become bored, lazy, hopeless, and listless.
I hope to be going to the Philippines. This is not some pie in the sky wish. It is a strong expectation that I will be going.
I like what Hebrews 11:1 says in the Amplified Bible: “Now faith is the assurance, the confirmation, the title deed of the things we “hope for,” being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality, faith, perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.”
Your faith has to have something to hold on to. This is where hope comes in. Whatever you are hoping for must have faith to help it come to pass. In hoping to go to the Philippines, I keep my hope alive by going on the Internet and finding out all I can about the country, the people, the culture, and I even keep checking the Internet for current events in the Philippines. I am looking for a wall of map of the Philippines. What am I doing? I am keeping my faith alive by feeding my hope. I have an expectation of going there.
I am feeding my hope on some other things as well. All of these things will come to pass. When you can see your hope on the inside of you, it will grow and eventually come to pass. You start imaging what it would be like for your hope to come to pass. That is why God gave you an imagination, to give birth to and nurture your hope. This works both for godly things and ungodly things. In ungodly things, it creates darkness in your spirit and will choke the light that is in you.
NO HOPE NO FAITH.
Jesus Christ is the “hope of glory” for us. (Colossians 1:27b)
Christ’s return is our “blessed hope.” (Titus 2:13)
Jesus provides the expectation that He will work through our prayers and our hands.
Jesus Christ provides the hope that motivates us that the future with Him will be better.
We have been called to a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
It is our calling to look forward, to anticipate, even to hasten Christ’s coming in power and in glory. (II Peter 3:12)
Paul prays for our hope to expand and embrace a big future, rather than shrivel in pain, bitterness, and discouragement or die in a parched desert of spiritual starvation.
To a grand view of our future in Jesus Christ we have been called, brothers and sisters.
Our hope when we catch this view is truly glorious.
TWO: What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.
What is an inheritance?
It consists of the carefully accumulated possessions of another, set aside and preserved to pass on to one’s heirs.
Ours is a “glorious inheritance,” Paul says, an inheritance which is attend by glory, which consists of glory in His presence, and which make us rich beyond all comparison.
We are to comprehend the degree of the riches of His inheritance.
The Greek word, “ploutos,” means, “wealth, abundance, plentiful supply.”
It is not meager but abundant, overflowing, beyond counting.
We live lives of struggle and hurt, of love and of reaching out, but we fall so short.
Paul prays that we will be able to comprehend that we have ahead of us a reward above all measure, a precious redemption purchased at great cost by our Brother, Jesus Christ.
Someone described GRACE as an acronym: “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”
It is an inheritance, but more than that, it is an inheritance “in the saints.”
Ours is not a solo award, but one we will share forever and even with all God’s people, living and dead.
Oh, don’t worry, there is plenty for all.
But it is shared with the family.
Sometimes we are tempted to isolate ourselves from others.
We have suffered too much rejection, we have some “history” that makes us love-shy, and so we practice our own form of hermit Christianity.
But our inheritance is “in the saints,’ as part of a corporate body.
THIRDLY: “What is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
The Greek preposition “eis” often carries a sense of motion, “into, in, toward, to,” and sometimes as a marker of goals.
The use here could carry the idea of power directed:
1. “into us, ”toward us”
2. “for our benefit”
While it is difficult to say which it is precisely the idea is still wonderful.
In this case, God’s immeasurable power is into and unto us believers.
It is “incomparably great,” a pair of Greek words.
HUPERBALLO: means “to attain a degree that extraordinary exceeds point on a scale of extent, go beyond, surpass, outdo.”
MEGETHOS: means “greatness, a quality of exceeding a standard of excellence.”
Paul heaps one word upon another to impress upon us the extreme, humongous, immeasurable nature of the power.
God’s full horsepower is at our disposal, working in us who believe.
What is the power (Greek word “dunamis”), this “might, force, capability”?
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: It is good for you that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you, but if I go, I will send Him to you. (John 14:6-7)
He promised, ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:8a)
And because this Counselor, the Holy Sprit, now lives inside of us, with us at the very deepest level, we will do greater things than even Jesus’ miracles. (John 14:2)
You see, the very same power that empowered Jesus’ ministry on earth dwells in us.
The very same power that called Lazarus to come out of the tomb lives in you in the presence of the Third Person of the Trinity.
The power in the hands that touched blind eyes and made them see, that broke bread and fishes and fed 5,000 is in you.
But I don’t see anything of the kind, you say.
I feel powerless.
Perhaps, but the scripture says that you are filled with incomparably great power toward us who believe, “like (Greek “kata,” “in accordance with, just as, similar
But I don’t see anything of the kind, you say.
I feel powerless.
Perhaps, but the scripture says that you are filled with incomparably great power toward us who believe, “like (Greek “kata,” “in accordance with, just as, similar to”) as His mighty strength which He (God) exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.”
I don’t see it, you contend.
Exactly.
Laying hold of this power today is a function of our faith.
It is a function of seeing the truth in our hearts and then acting upon it.
That is why Paul is praying diligently that the eyeballs of your heart may be opened, that your blindness be cured, that your faith be broadened.
And mine too.
In the past we have lived far below our hope, our inheritance, and our power.
But we need live there no longer.
God is opening our eyes and stirring up our faith.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him, but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. (I Corinthians 2:9-10)
Consider I John 4:4 and Ephesians 3:20.
To summarize:
Paul prayed 2 things in this prayer:
ONE: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
TWO: “That the eyes of your heart may be (being) enlightened to know 3 things:
1. “What is the hope of His calling”
2. “What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
3. “What is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
Use this prayer to pray for others and yourself.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
NEGLECT
Scripture Reference: Proverbs 24:30-34
I went past the field of th sluggard,
Past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
Thorns had come up everywhere,
The ground was covered with weeds,
And the wall was in ruins.
I applied my heart to what I observed
And learned a lesson to what I saw;
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
And poverty will come on you like a bandit
And scarcity like an armed man. (NIV)
Have you ever taken a walk around your neighborhood, or just took a drive through one of those real nice neighborhoods. We've all done that. As you were walking around, you observe how nice all the homes look. Some of thlem have their lawns nice and green, cut and edged; some may have recently had new roofs put on, or just recently painted or had new vinly siding. You don't see any trash in the yards. Everything looks nice and neat. You are really impresseed with the neighborhood.
Let's say one day as you were walking through one of these neighborhoods, you come across something that really catches your attention. You can't believe what you see. You see a house that looks like it has been in a hurricane. The shingles on the roof are falling down or missing: it looks like the paint has been peeled right off the house; the yard is littered with trash; the lawn looks like a jungle with grass knee high to a giraffe, and weeds with foreign names popping up all over the place. You stand there stunned that such a place could exist in this nice neighborhood. You walk over to take a look at the inside and what you see is unbelievable. It's even worse on the inside. You wonder to yourself, How could anyone let this house get in such a condition?
What happended to cause this house to get in this condition?
Well, the same thing happened to Solomon.
One day he was riding through his magnificent vineyeards and fields and he came across something that caught his attention.
Let's look at what he saw and learned verese by verse.
Verse 30 says that he went by the field of the sluggard and past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment.
We know that the field was managed by the sluggard.
A sluggard is a person who is habitually inactive or lazy.
Proverbs has a lot to say about a sluggard:
Proverbs 15:19: "The way of the sluggard is blocked by thorns; but the path of the upright is a highway"
Proverbs 19:24: "The sluggard buries his hand in his dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth."
Proverbs 21:25: "The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work."
Proverbs 26:14: "As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed."
By now we have a pretty good idea of what a sluggard is.
Verse 30 goes on to talk about the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment.
This individual is also known as a fool. We can find out some more about the fool:
Proverbs 12:15: "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listends to advice."
Ecclesiastes 4:5: "The fool folds his hands and ruins himself."
we can get the picture about the sluggard and the fool.
Verse 31 begins to talk about the condition of the field and vineyard.
There are three things we notice about this field and vineyard.
First, it says that "thorns had come up everywhere. The field and vineyard were overgrown with thorns. The NASB reads "with thorns and thistles."
What are thorns and thistles?
They are often mentioned with other non-beneficial plants as evidence of the undesirability of a land and the ruination of a formerly propserous or populated land. Biblical references to thorns and thistles are mostly metaphors describing punishment for sin, and emphasizing anything that is worthless.
The seconed thing it says about this field and vineyeard was that "the ground was covered with weeds." The NASB says "nettles."
Nettles are coarse plants with stringing hairs. It refers to scrub brushes that grow up over neglected fields. Nettles growing over deserted ruins dramatize destruction and desolation.
Nettles are also symbolic of desolation and judgment.
The third thing mentioned is that the stone wall was in ruins.
The purpose of the stone wall was to keep animals and people out of the field and vineyard. It was for protecting the produce of the field and vineyard. So if the wall was in ruins, that means the field and vineyard were left unprotected and anyone or anything could walk right in and help themselves.
The field and vineyard were meant to be productive and to produce fruit. It is just life planting a garden in your backyard. You plant it to produce fruit.
What do the house we saw, the field and the vinyard have in common?
They are the result of the same problem, NEGLECT.
Webster's Dictionary defines neglect as :
To give little or no attention to
To carelessly omit doing something that should be done.
As we can see with the house, little or no attention was given to its upkeep. Mowing the lawn, repairing the roof, painting, pick up the trash were things that were carelessly omitted that should have been done. Little or not attention was given to the upkeep of the house. Whovever owned this house gave little or no attention to its upkeep, carelessly onitting doing the things that needed to be done. They were probably in the living room watching HBO. I actually saw a commercial for HBO where the husband and wife were sitting on the sofa watching HBO while their living room looked like a hurricane passed through and all the lamps were sparking.
The same with the field and vineyard. They were neglected, and as a result the field and vineyard became unproductive, overgrown with thorns, thistles, and weeds. The sluggard and fool carelessly omitted doing the things necessary to keep the fielf and vineyard productive. They gave little or no attention to the upkeep.
In verses 32 and 33 it reads: "I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, and little folding of the hands to rest."
It says that Solomon observed what had taken place, reflected upon it, and receive instruction.
It does not say that he reprimanded the sluggard and the fool, but that he learned from their
neglect. He received insight into the cause of the condition of the field and vineyard. What did he learn: "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands." The condition of the field and vineyard was the result of the inward conditon of the sluggard and fool. They probably woke up one morning, stretched, yawned, and said, "I really don't feel like working in the field or vineyard today. I'll do it tomorrow." Tomorrow came and they both did the same thing again, put it off for another day. This probably went on for a long period of time, until there was no desire to do what was necessary. The neglected condition of the field and vineyard was the result of the their neglect. What Solomon saw was a reflection of what was happening to the sluggard and fool. Solomon preceived that neglect was the real cause of the condition of the field and vineyard.
Verse 34 tells us that "and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."
The result of "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands," is that poverty and scarcity will come upon you quickly. A bandit or armed man attacks quickly when he wants to steal from. The field and vineyard are subject to attack because the wall that was supposed t protect it was now in ruins, and anybody or anything can come in and help themselves.
So far we have been talking about a house, a field, and a vineyard.
But what about your "spiritual house?"
You can describe yourself as a field, vineyard, or a house.
If somebody were to pass by your house, and people do everyday, what would they see?
Would they see the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5, or would they see the works of the flesh also described in Galatians 5.
The works of the flesh as described in Galatians 5 might be call the spiritual thorns, thistles, and nettles that manifest themselves in our lives when we neglect to do the necessary things.
What necessary things are you neglecting?
PRAYER
FELLOWSHIP
TIME IN GOD'S WORD
QUIET TIME WITH THE LORD?
Do we stretch and yawn and say, "I'll pray later," or "I'll read my Bible later," or "I'll skip church today." "Lord. I really don't have time for you today, maybe tomorrow."
Is "a little sleep, a little slumber, and a little folding of the hands" part of our lives?
It is when we begin to neglect the things that are necessary, when we begin to omit what we should do, this is when the spiritual thorns , thistles, and weeds begin to grow in our lives, and that is all you need to do for them to grow. Before long, you will find your spiritual house run down, overgrown, and in ruins.
Neglect is giving little or no attention to the things that are necessary. It is carelessly omitting doing something that should be done.
People pass by your spiritual house everyday, what do they see?
How long will you sleep? This question throws the responsbility where it belongs, but it give us the freedom to make up our own minds. You can choose.
When will arise from sleeep? This questions also holds out the option of personal change through action, as if to say, "You need not continue in your present impotence."
Are you willing to make the changes.
I went past the field of th sluggard,
Past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
Thorns had come up everywhere,
The ground was covered with weeds,
And the wall was in ruins.
I applied my heart to what I observed
And learned a lesson to what I saw;
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
And poverty will come on you like a bandit
And scarcity like an armed man. (NIV)
Have you ever taken a walk around your neighborhood, or just took a drive through one of those real nice neighborhoods. We've all done that. As you were walking around, you observe how nice all the homes look. Some of thlem have their lawns nice and green, cut and edged; some may have recently had new roofs put on, or just recently painted or had new vinly siding. You don't see any trash in the yards. Everything looks nice and neat. You are really impresseed with the neighborhood.
Let's say one day as you were walking through one of these neighborhoods, you come across something that really catches your attention. You can't believe what you see. You see a house that looks like it has been in a hurricane. The shingles on the roof are falling down or missing: it looks like the paint has been peeled right off the house; the yard is littered with trash; the lawn looks like a jungle with grass knee high to a giraffe, and weeds with foreign names popping up all over the place. You stand there stunned that such a place could exist in this nice neighborhood. You walk over to take a look at the inside and what you see is unbelievable. It's even worse on the inside. You wonder to yourself, How could anyone let this house get in such a condition?
What happended to cause this house to get in this condition?
Well, the same thing happened to Solomon.
One day he was riding through his magnificent vineyeards and fields and he came across something that caught his attention.
Let's look at what he saw and learned verese by verse.
Verse 30 says that he went by the field of the sluggard and past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment.
We know that the field was managed by the sluggard.
A sluggard is a person who is habitually inactive or lazy.
Proverbs has a lot to say about a sluggard:
Proverbs 15:19: "The way of the sluggard is blocked by thorns; but the path of the upright is a highway"
Proverbs 19:24: "The sluggard buries his hand in his dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth."
Proverbs 21:25: "The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work."
Proverbs 26:14: "As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed."
By now we have a pretty good idea of what a sluggard is.
Verse 30 goes on to talk about the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment.
This individual is also known as a fool. We can find out some more about the fool:
Proverbs 12:15: "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listends to advice."
Ecclesiastes 4:5: "The fool folds his hands and ruins himself."
we can get the picture about the sluggard and the fool.
Verse 31 begins to talk about the condition of the field and vineyard.
There are three things we notice about this field and vineyard.
First, it says that "thorns had come up everywhere. The field and vineyard were overgrown with thorns. The NASB reads "with thorns and thistles."
What are thorns and thistles?
They are often mentioned with other non-beneficial plants as evidence of the undesirability of a land and the ruination of a formerly propserous or populated land. Biblical references to thorns and thistles are mostly metaphors describing punishment for sin, and emphasizing anything that is worthless.
The seconed thing it says about this field and vineyeard was that "the ground was covered with weeds." The NASB says "nettles."
Nettles are coarse plants with stringing hairs. It refers to scrub brushes that grow up over neglected fields. Nettles growing over deserted ruins dramatize destruction and desolation.
Nettles are also symbolic of desolation and judgment.
The third thing mentioned is that the stone wall was in ruins.
The purpose of the stone wall was to keep animals and people out of the field and vineyard. It was for protecting the produce of the field and vineyard. So if the wall was in ruins, that means the field and vineyard were left unprotected and anyone or anything could walk right in and help themselves.
The field and vineyard were meant to be productive and to produce fruit. It is just life planting a garden in your backyard. You plant it to produce fruit.
What do the house we saw, the field and the vinyard have in common?
They are the result of the same problem, NEGLECT.
Webster's Dictionary defines neglect as :
To give little or no attention to
To carelessly omit doing something that should be done.
As we can see with the house, little or no attention was given to its upkeep. Mowing the lawn, repairing the roof, painting, pick up the trash were things that were carelessly omitted that should have been done. Little or not attention was given to the upkeep of the house. Whovever owned this house gave little or no attention to its upkeep, carelessly onitting doing the things that needed to be done. They were probably in the living room watching HBO. I actually saw a commercial for HBO where the husband and wife were sitting on the sofa watching HBO while their living room looked like a hurricane passed through and all the lamps were sparking.
The same with the field and vineyard. They were neglected, and as a result the field and vineyard became unproductive, overgrown with thorns, thistles, and weeds. The sluggard and fool carelessly omitted doing the things necessary to keep the fielf and vineyard productive. They gave little or no attention to the upkeep.
In verses 32 and 33 it reads: "I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, and little folding of the hands to rest."
It says that Solomon observed what had taken place, reflected upon it, and receive instruction.
It does not say that he reprimanded the sluggard and the fool, but that he learned from their
neglect. He received insight into the cause of the condition of the field and vineyard. What did he learn: "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands." The condition of the field and vineyard was the result of the inward conditon of the sluggard and fool. They probably woke up one morning, stretched, yawned, and said, "I really don't feel like working in the field or vineyard today. I'll do it tomorrow." Tomorrow came and they both did the same thing again, put it off for another day. This probably went on for a long period of time, until there was no desire to do what was necessary. The neglected condition of the field and vineyard was the result of the their neglect. What Solomon saw was a reflection of what was happening to the sluggard and fool. Solomon preceived that neglect was the real cause of the condition of the field and vineyard.
Verse 34 tells us that "and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."
The result of "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands," is that poverty and scarcity will come upon you quickly. A bandit or armed man attacks quickly when he wants to steal from. The field and vineyard are subject to attack because the wall that was supposed t protect it was now in ruins, and anybody or anything can come in and help themselves.
So far we have been talking about a house, a field, and a vineyard.
But what about your "spiritual house?"
You can describe yourself as a field, vineyard, or a house.
If somebody were to pass by your house, and people do everyday, what would they see?
Would they see the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5, or would they see the works of the flesh also described in Galatians 5.
The works of the flesh as described in Galatians 5 might be call the spiritual thorns, thistles, and nettles that manifest themselves in our lives when we neglect to do the necessary things.
What necessary things are you neglecting?
PRAYER
FELLOWSHIP
TIME IN GOD'S WORD
QUIET TIME WITH THE LORD?
Do we stretch and yawn and say, "I'll pray later," or "I'll read my Bible later," or "I'll skip church today." "Lord. I really don't have time for you today, maybe tomorrow."
Is "a little sleep, a little slumber, and a little folding of the hands" part of our lives?
It is when we begin to neglect the things that are necessary, when we begin to omit what we should do, this is when the spiritual thorns , thistles, and weeds begin to grow in our lives, and that is all you need to do for them to grow. Before long, you will find your spiritual house run down, overgrown, and in ruins.
Neglect is giving little or no attention to the things that are necessary. It is carelessly omitting doing something that should be done.
People pass by your spiritual house everyday, what do they see?
How long will you sleep? This question throws the responsbility where it belongs, but it give us the freedom to make up our own minds. You can choose.
When will arise from sleeep? This questions also holds out the option of personal change through action, as if to say, "You need not continue in your present impotence."
Are you willing to make the changes.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
WHY STUDY THE BIBLE?
WHY SHOULD WE STUDY THE BIBLE?
To answer that question, I am going to focus on three main points that will give us the answer to that question:
WHAT IS STUDY?
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE BIBLE?
WE SHOULD STUDY THE BIBLE BECAUSE
WHAT IS STUDY?
There are two words in the Greek for the word "study":
"katanaeo" which means to "immrese oneself in."
"noema" which means:
(1) To direct one's mind
(2) To perceive mentally
(3) To think
(4) To understand
(5) To know as a function of the mind
Webster's Dictionary defines "study" as "the application of the mind to the acquistion of knowledge as by reading, investigating, or reflection."
Study is a specific kind of experience in which through careful attention to reality, the mind is enabled to move in a certain direction. The mind will always take on an order upon which it concentrates. It will conform either in a postive form or a negative form, depending upon what it is concentrating on. For example, if your mind is concentrating on pornography, it will take on the negative form of pornography. If your mind is concentrating on the Word of God, it will take on the positive form of the Word of God. By changing what you are concentrating on, you can change the negative into a positive form. Paul said in Romans 12 to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind." It is the Word of God that will transform your mind.
In Deuteronomy 11:18 we read: "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and "minds"; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (NIV)
The purpose of the instruction is to direct the mind repeatedly and regularly toward certain modes of thought abut God and human relationships.
It must be emphasized that the ingrained habits of thought that are formed will conform to the order of the thing being studied. What we study determines the kind of habits that are formed.
Again, it works both positively and negatively.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE BIBLE?
Why is it so important that we as Christians study and read the Bible?
The Bible is much more that just a religious book written by a conglomeration of dead men from long ago. It is more than 66 indiviudal books slapped together like sandwich meat between two pieces of leather.
It is the inerrant Word of God, completely, undeniably 100% inspired by God. Within its 1,189 chapters are literally thousands of verses that give us direction and guidance for everyday life.
It reveals to us the character and nature of God. It is able to make us wise unto salvation. It is able to teach us, correct us, and comfort us. That is what the Bible is in a nutshell and so much more!
So, why study the Bible?
It may seem a little impertinent even to ask such a question. We have been taught since we were little children that Christians study the Bible. That is taken for granted. Yet it doesn't take a little child much growing up to discover that many adult Christians do not, in fact, study the Bible.
In fact, one of the most astonishing anomalies to be found on this planet is that:
Millions of Christians would die to preserve the Bible, yet never seriously read it on their own.
Millions of Christians would fight battles to defend the plenary, verbal inspirtion of Scripture, yet never spend 30 minutes a week intelligently studying the stoutly defended Scriptures.
Millions of Christians rejoice in the fact that the Bible is the best selling book, yet they know
full well that for many it is the most carelessly studied book on earth.
Millions of Christians carry their Bibles around. They go to meetings by the hundreds, to
seminars and retreatss and to refresher courses, yet they never seem to grow in their
personal,usable knowledge of the the Scriptures, always being taught, yet seldom teaching
anyone else.
Millions of Christians go to church faithfully every Sunday, listen to great sermons and rejoice
in the purity of their faith, pleased to possess the very latest translations, yet many have
never read the Bible through, much less studied it through.
Millions of Christians are thrilled to be members of fine churches, listening to excellent music,
rejoicing in the faith of their fathers, and yet many, as John MacArthur has said, could be torn
to shreds in 20 minutes by the most ordinary Jehovah's Witness.
Any thinking person would surely ask, why is this?
May it not be because we are not truly convinced that we need to study the Bible.
WE SHOULD STUDY THE BIBLE BECAUSE:
There are probably a hundred reasons we should study the Bible. To list them all here would be futile. So I have listed the top 4:
NUMBER ONE: WE ARE COMMANDED TO
II Timothy 2:15 reads: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
I like the Living Bible paraphase of this Scripture: "Work hard so that God can say to you, "Well done!" Be a good workman, one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines your work. Know what His Word says and means."
Harold Lindsell wrote in his book "God's Incomparable Word": "The Christian is cautioned that he will be judged according to his labors and the basis on which the judgment will be made is how well he knew the Word of the living God. We may conclude that once a person becomes a Christian, he or she has an ongoing responsibility to read, study, and to know the Word of God.
This is not optional; it is obligatory. But it is not to be thought of as a chore. It is work of course, but it is not a chore. It pays off rich dividends because it brings the believer close to God, and it helps to transform his life and provide him with the food he needs to grow in grace."
This is such an important statement.
The study of Scripture is work. Christ invites us to the privilege working with Him. He tells us that ture rest is found in worthwhile work, in a significant mission in life, and the basis of the preparation for that mission is to know the Lord Jesus. We can know Him only by the study of the Word of God.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reads: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strngth. These commandments that I give yo today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of yoru house and on your gates." (NIV)
Clearly God sovereignly commands that His Word be the very center of our lives, to be taught so diligently that is penetrates our subconscious.
It is not to be mentioned indifferently, casually, carelessly, but constantly and with familiar attention. It is to be the frequent and natural topic of conversationn, whatever we are doing and wherever we are living. It must be bound to our hands, to control our thoughts, our desires, and even the motives of our lives. It must control the inner source of our actions and the outer expression of our plans.
Ezra 7:10 is the main Scriputre for my ministry of teaching.
It says that Ezra studied the Law, put it into practice in his life, and shared and taught Israel.
He first studied, then put what he learned to pracitce in his own life, and then he was able to teach others.
NUMBER TWO: WE ARE EXPECT TO
Again and again we find that the Scriptures associate true belief in God with a delight in listening to Him through the Scriptures.
Consider the contrast between a believer and nonbeliever in Psalm 1. It says the unbeliever walks in the counsel of wicked men, he stands in the way of sinners, and sits in the seat of mockers. In contrast, the blessed man's delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on His Law he meditates day and night. As a result of this focus on Scripture, this delight in the Word of God, he is like a fruitful tree, planted by rivers of water, whose leaf does not wither and whatever he does prospers.
The same description is found the Joshua l:8. His prosperity and success is found by meditating on God's Word.
It becomes obvious that God assumes that the preface of every venture for Him, the foundation of every achievement for Him, the preparation for every life lived for Him, is the the Scriptures.
Jesus said in John 17:3: " This is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." Knowing God is the only thing in our lives that really matters.
Throught the prophet Jeremiah God said in chapter 9 verses 23 to 24: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me."
In his final lett to his beloved disciple Timothy, the old Apostle Paul reminded him that "all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable, that the man of God may be complete, or mature, thoroughly equipped for every good work.." (II Timothy 3:16)
He reminded him in II Timothy 2:8-9 that "the Word of God is not chained" and that the only thing that can bring life, that can set captives free, is the living, powerful Word of God working in and through an obedient servant of God.
It becomes clear that God expects each believer to study and know the Scriputres, not merely to go to church, or to be taught and exhorted, corrected and inspired by others. We must study the Scriptures ourselves so that we can grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. It is as we grow, that we really being to understand the power of the Word of God. I experience this myself as a teacher in a Bible College here in Virginia Beach. When I share what I know, I find that God will reveal more to me, and I share with my students. As they share what they know, I learn something new from them. It works both ways.
The Christian who is not carefully and faithfully involved in the study of the Scriptures is an anomaly in the program of God, because such neglect suggests he is not taking his Christian life seriously.
R. C. Sproul wrote: "To be an adequate Christian, competent in the things of God, one must do more that attend "sharing sessions" and "bless me parties." We cannot learn competence by osmosis. The biblically illiterate Christian is not only inadequate but also unequipped. In fact, he is inadequate because he is unequipped."
No soldier is more dangerous that the one who is inadequately equipped, mentally, physically, emotionally, and personally.
We are called to be soldiers of Christ.
We study the Scriptures because we are expected to.
NUMBER THREE: WE NEED TO
In II Timothy 4:6-8, 13, it is interesting to note what the Apostle Paul's request was when he wrote to Timothy. He said, "bring the parchments." Out of all the things he could have asked for, he wanted the parchments, the Word of God.
How on earth can we expect to achieve anything at all for God if we continue to be ignorant of His Word, indifferent to His commands, unaware of His provision, and inappreciative of His presence among us in power.
We have seen how Joshua, foremost in his instruction to his people, and on the threshhold of one of the greatest military ventures of the Scriputres, reminded them they needed the Word of God to be their guide and daily encouragement.
The Apostle Peter, in I Peter 2, tells us we have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, by the living and abiding Word of God. (verse 23). He exhorts his readers, as a result, to "desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted and discovered that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:1) He tells us that the new birth is but the beginning of the new growth and that the purpose of being born again is to grow up into Christ so that we can effectively share Him with a needy world.
Alas, however, so many Christians seem content just to go to church and be fed and fed and fed, without seriously asking themselves the question, "What is the purpose of all this?"
A man goes to school for the purpose of being able to use what he learns; a student studies medicine so he can practice what he knows; and the purpose for going to God's University is to leave the University equipped to go out into the world and use what has been learned. So it must be in our preparation as servants of God.
It is important that we do not make a mockery of the new birth by being indifferent to seriously nurturing our growth in a personal knowledge of Scripture. We are saved to serve; we learn to teach; we come to go; we are born to reproduce. Anyone who simply "goes to church" because it is the "thing we do on Sunday" without anly practical purpose for doing so is falling short of the call to which he has been called in Christ.
We study the Scriptures because we need to.
If we do not study the Scriptures, faithfully and eagerly, is it because we don't feel that we need to know the Lord and His instructions for our lives?
NUMBER FOUR: WE WANT TO
Many will testify to the amazing fact that once one is truly born again, God not only begins to help us change the direction of our lives but He changes the desires of our hearts as well. Things that once seemed foolishness to us, now seem most important of all. Things that once were truly incomprehensible now become the light of our daily path. Things that once would not have attracted a moment of our time now fill our thoughts and longings.
How do we explain this? Philippians 2:13 say that it is God at work in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure. God begins to affect both our obedience and our desire to obey. He changes our desires, our priorities, our ambitions, and then He enables us to fulfill those desires by wanting to obey what He commands.
How God does this is explained in I Thessalonians 2:13: "We thank God continually because, when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as it actually is, the Word of God, which is at work in you who believe..
God works in us through His Word and we grow in our knowledge of Him. Conversely, if we ignore studying His Word, there is little He can or will do. Our knowledge of God is dependent on our diligently seeking Him. Our failure to seek Him leaves us unequipped and dimishes our appetite to know Him at all.
How important is the faithful study of the Word, not least of which is the manner in which it increases our desire to know Him and to make Him known.
May the prospect of knowing God be an irresitable motivation for the discipline required to properly study the Word of God.
May we sense the hunger of this study and respond to Him by the prompting of the Spirit.
May the Spirit's fullness enable us to know and teach the Word of God in manner we had never thought possible.
May our inclination to personal laziness,our preoccupation with many other, more "urgent" things, our tendency to procrastinate in the doing of what we know are essential things be overcome by allowing God's Word to dwell in us in every area of our lives.
One of the first questions the Lord Jesus will ask us, when we arrive home in heaven, may likely be, "What did you do with my Word?"
What will your answer be?
I would like to conclude with a quote from William Barclay:
"The study of Scripture trains a man in righteousness until he is equipped for every good work.
Here is the essential conclusion: The study of Scripture must never be selfish; it must never be simply for the good of a man's own soul. Any change, any conversion which makes a man think of nothing but of the fact that he has been saved is no true change and no true conversion. He must study the Scriptures to make himself useful to God and useful to his fellow man. He must study, not simply and solely to save his own soul, but that he may make himself such that God will use him to help to save the souls and comfort the lives of others. No man is saved unless he is on fire to save his fellow man."
To answer that question, I am going to focus on three main points that will give us the answer to that question:
WHAT IS STUDY?
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE BIBLE?
WE SHOULD STUDY THE BIBLE BECAUSE
WHAT IS STUDY?
There are two words in the Greek for the word "study":
"katanaeo" which means to "immrese oneself in."
"noema" which means:
(1) To direct one's mind
(2) To perceive mentally
(3) To think
(4) To understand
(5) To know as a function of the mind
Webster's Dictionary defines "study" as "the application of the mind to the acquistion of knowledge as by reading, investigating, or reflection."
Study is a specific kind of experience in which through careful attention to reality, the mind is enabled to move in a certain direction. The mind will always take on an order upon which it concentrates. It will conform either in a postive form or a negative form, depending upon what it is concentrating on. For example, if your mind is concentrating on pornography, it will take on the negative form of pornography. If your mind is concentrating on the Word of God, it will take on the positive form of the Word of God. By changing what you are concentrating on, you can change the negative into a positive form. Paul said in Romans 12 to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind." It is the Word of God that will transform your mind.
In Deuteronomy 11:18 we read: "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and "minds"; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (NIV)
The purpose of the instruction is to direct the mind repeatedly and regularly toward certain modes of thought abut God and human relationships.
It must be emphasized that the ingrained habits of thought that are formed will conform to the order of the thing being studied. What we study determines the kind of habits that are formed.
Again, it works both positively and negatively.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE BIBLE?
Why is it so important that we as Christians study and read the Bible?
The Bible is much more that just a religious book written by a conglomeration of dead men from long ago. It is more than 66 indiviudal books slapped together like sandwich meat between two pieces of leather.
It is the inerrant Word of God, completely, undeniably 100% inspired by God. Within its 1,189 chapters are literally thousands of verses that give us direction and guidance for everyday life.
It reveals to us the character and nature of God. It is able to make us wise unto salvation. It is able to teach us, correct us, and comfort us. That is what the Bible is in a nutshell and so much more!
So, why study the Bible?
It may seem a little impertinent even to ask such a question. We have been taught since we were little children that Christians study the Bible. That is taken for granted. Yet it doesn't take a little child much growing up to discover that many adult Christians do not, in fact, study the Bible.
In fact, one of the most astonishing anomalies to be found on this planet is that:
Millions of Christians would die to preserve the Bible, yet never seriously read it on their own.
Millions of Christians would fight battles to defend the plenary, verbal inspirtion of Scripture, yet never spend 30 minutes a week intelligently studying the stoutly defended Scriptures.
Millions of Christians rejoice in the fact that the Bible is the best selling book, yet they know
full well that for many it is the most carelessly studied book on earth.
Millions of Christians carry their Bibles around. They go to meetings by the hundreds, to
seminars and retreatss and to refresher courses, yet they never seem to grow in their
personal,usable knowledge of the the Scriptures, always being taught, yet seldom teaching
anyone else.
Millions of Christians go to church faithfully every Sunday, listen to great sermons and rejoice
in the purity of their faith, pleased to possess the very latest translations, yet many have
never read the Bible through, much less studied it through.
Millions of Christians are thrilled to be members of fine churches, listening to excellent music,
rejoicing in the faith of their fathers, and yet many, as John MacArthur has said, could be torn
to shreds in 20 minutes by the most ordinary Jehovah's Witness.
Any thinking person would surely ask, why is this?
May it not be because we are not truly convinced that we need to study the Bible.
WE SHOULD STUDY THE BIBLE BECAUSE:
There are probably a hundred reasons we should study the Bible. To list them all here would be futile. So I have listed the top 4:
NUMBER ONE: WE ARE COMMANDED TO
II Timothy 2:15 reads: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
I like the Living Bible paraphase of this Scripture: "Work hard so that God can say to you, "Well done!" Be a good workman, one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines your work. Know what His Word says and means."
Harold Lindsell wrote in his book "God's Incomparable Word": "The Christian is cautioned that he will be judged according to his labors and the basis on which the judgment will be made is how well he knew the Word of the living God. We may conclude that once a person becomes a Christian, he or she has an ongoing responsibility to read, study, and to know the Word of God.
This is not optional; it is obligatory. But it is not to be thought of as a chore. It is work of course, but it is not a chore. It pays off rich dividends because it brings the believer close to God, and it helps to transform his life and provide him with the food he needs to grow in grace."
This is such an important statement.
The study of Scripture is work. Christ invites us to the privilege working with Him. He tells us that ture rest is found in worthwhile work, in a significant mission in life, and the basis of the preparation for that mission is to know the Lord Jesus. We can know Him only by the study of the Word of God.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reads: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strngth. These commandments that I give yo today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of yoru house and on your gates." (NIV)
Clearly God sovereignly commands that His Word be the very center of our lives, to be taught so diligently that is penetrates our subconscious.
It is not to be mentioned indifferently, casually, carelessly, but constantly and with familiar attention. It is to be the frequent and natural topic of conversationn, whatever we are doing and wherever we are living. It must be bound to our hands, to control our thoughts, our desires, and even the motives of our lives. It must control the inner source of our actions and the outer expression of our plans.
Ezra 7:10 is the main Scriputre for my ministry of teaching.
It says that Ezra studied the Law, put it into practice in his life, and shared and taught Israel.
He first studied, then put what he learned to pracitce in his own life, and then he was able to teach others.
NUMBER TWO: WE ARE EXPECT TO
Again and again we find that the Scriptures associate true belief in God with a delight in listening to Him through the Scriptures.
Consider the contrast between a believer and nonbeliever in Psalm 1. It says the unbeliever walks in the counsel of wicked men, he stands in the way of sinners, and sits in the seat of mockers. In contrast, the blessed man's delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on His Law he meditates day and night. As a result of this focus on Scripture, this delight in the Word of God, he is like a fruitful tree, planted by rivers of water, whose leaf does not wither and whatever he does prospers.
The same description is found the Joshua l:8. His prosperity and success is found by meditating on God's Word.
It becomes obvious that God assumes that the preface of every venture for Him, the foundation of every achievement for Him, the preparation for every life lived for Him, is the the Scriptures.
Jesus said in John 17:3: " This is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." Knowing God is the only thing in our lives that really matters.
Throught the prophet Jeremiah God said in chapter 9 verses 23 to 24: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me."
In his final lett to his beloved disciple Timothy, the old Apostle Paul reminded him that "all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable, that the man of God may be complete, or mature, thoroughly equipped for every good work.." (II Timothy 3:16)
He reminded him in II Timothy 2:8-9 that "the Word of God is not chained" and that the only thing that can bring life, that can set captives free, is the living, powerful Word of God working in and through an obedient servant of God.
It becomes clear that God expects each believer to study and know the Scriputres, not merely to go to church, or to be taught and exhorted, corrected and inspired by others. We must study the Scriptures ourselves so that we can grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. It is as we grow, that we really being to understand the power of the Word of God. I experience this myself as a teacher in a Bible College here in Virginia Beach. When I share what I know, I find that God will reveal more to me, and I share with my students. As they share what they know, I learn something new from them. It works both ways.
The Christian who is not carefully and faithfully involved in the study of the Scriptures is an anomaly in the program of God, because such neglect suggests he is not taking his Christian life seriously.
R. C. Sproul wrote: "To be an adequate Christian, competent in the things of God, one must do more that attend "sharing sessions" and "bless me parties." We cannot learn competence by osmosis. The biblically illiterate Christian is not only inadequate but also unequipped. In fact, he is inadequate because he is unequipped."
No soldier is more dangerous that the one who is inadequately equipped, mentally, physically, emotionally, and personally.
We are called to be soldiers of Christ.
We study the Scriptures because we are expected to.
NUMBER THREE: WE NEED TO
In II Timothy 4:6-8, 13, it is interesting to note what the Apostle Paul's request was when he wrote to Timothy. He said, "bring the parchments." Out of all the things he could have asked for, he wanted the parchments, the Word of God.
How on earth can we expect to achieve anything at all for God if we continue to be ignorant of His Word, indifferent to His commands, unaware of His provision, and inappreciative of His presence among us in power.
We have seen how Joshua, foremost in his instruction to his people, and on the threshhold of one of the greatest military ventures of the Scriputres, reminded them they needed the Word of God to be their guide and daily encouragement.
The Apostle Peter, in I Peter 2, tells us we have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, by the living and abiding Word of God. (verse 23). He exhorts his readers, as a result, to "desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted and discovered that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:1) He tells us that the new birth is but the beginning of the new growth and that the purpose of being born again is to grow up into Christ so that we can effectively share Him with a needy world.
Alas, however, so many Christians seem content just to go to church and be fed and fed and fed, without seriously asking themselves the question, "What is the purpose of all this?"
A man goes to school for the purpose of being able to use what he learns; a student studies medicine so he can practice what he knows; and the purpose for going to God's University is to leave the University equipped to go out into the world and use what has been learned. So it must be in our preparation as servants of God.
It is important that we do not make a mockery of the new birth by being indifferent to seriously nurturing our growth in a personal knowledge of Scripture. We are saved to serve; we learn to teach; we come to go; we are born to reproduce. Anyone who simply "goes to church" because it is the "thing we do on Sunday" without anly practical purpose for doing so is falling short of the call to which he has been called in Christ.
We study the Scriptures because we need to.
If we do not study the Scriptures, faithfully and eagerly, is it because we don't feel that we need to know the Lord and His instructions for our lives?
NUMBER FOUR: WE WANT TO
Many will testify to the amazing fact that once one is truly born again, God not only begins to help us change the direction of our lives but He changes the desires of our hearts as well. Things that once seemed foolishness to us, now seem most important of all. Things that once were truly incomprehensible now become the light of our daily path. Things that once would not have attracted a moment of our time now fill our thoughts and longings.
How do we explain this? Philippians 2:13 say that it is God at work in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure. God begins to affect both our obedience and our desire to obey. He changes our desires, our priorities, our ambitions, and then He enables us to fulfill those desires by wanting to obey what He commands.
How God does this is explained in I Thessalonians 2:13: "We thank God continually because, when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as it actually is, the Word of God, which is at work in you who believe..
God works in us through His Word and we grow in our knowledge of Him. Conversely, if we ignore studying His Word, there is little He can or will do. Our knowledge of God is dependent on our diligently seeking Him. Our failure to seek Him leaves us unequipped and dimishes our appetite to know Him at all.
How important is the faithful study of the Word, not least of which is the manner in which it increases our desire to know Him and to make Him known.
May the prospect of knowing God be an irresitable motivation for the discipline required to properly study the Word of God.
May we sense the hunger of this study and respond to Him by the prompting of the Spirit.
May the Spirit's fullness enable us to know and teach the Word of God in manner we had never thought possible.
May our inclination to personal laziness,our preoccupation with many other, more "urgent" things, our tendency to procrastinate in the doing of what we know are essential things be overcome by allowing God's Word to dwell in us in every area of our lives.
One of the first questions the Lord Jesus will ask us, when we arrive home in heaven, may likely be, "What did you do with my Word?"
What will your answer be?
I would like to conclude with a quote from William Barclay:
"The study of Scripture trains a man in righteousness until he is equipped for every good work.
Here is the essential conclusion: The study of Scripture must never be selfish; it must never be simply for the good of a man's own soul. Any change, any conversion which makes a man think of nothing but of the fact that he has been saved is no true change and no true conversion. He must study the Scriptures to make himself useful to God and useful to his fellow man. He must study, not simply and solely to save his own soul, but that he may make himself such that God will use him to help to save the souls and comfort the lives of others. No man is saved unless he is on fire to save his fellow man."
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