Some Qualities Of A Good Bible Student

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Hillary Jennings
8 years ago
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1 Sermon : Some Qualities Of A Good Bible Student Page 1 Some Qualities Of A Good Bible Student INTRODUCTION : A. All Christians should enjoy bible study. 1. It s the way we learn about God. 2. It s the way we learn how to please God. B. Our bible study skills are directly linked to our ability to grow spiritually. 1. I Pet. 2: 1-3 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 2. The Christian is expected to mature past the MILK of the word to the MEAT of the word. Read Heb. 5: 11-6:1 It is futile for a teacher to spend hours preparing for a class, only to have the students show up unprepared to learn. Therefore, with this lesson we will look at a few qualities that one must develop in order to be a good student of the word. I. To be a good bible student, one must be a seeker of truth. A. A truth seeker has an open mind. 1. No one has all truth. ( If one knows everything, why study. ) a. He must admit that he does not know everything. b. He must admit that none of his teachers have known everything. 2. Therefore, his study should reveal something he has not yet known. a. If one learns something new, it s different from what he already knew. b. To accept new truth is to change. ( No Change = No Growth ) 3. The Bereans are a good N.T. example of open-mindedness. Acts 11: The Jews were just the opposite; they wouldn t even consider anything different. a. II Cor. 3: They put a veil over their hearts. b. Acts 7 They stoned Steven to shut him up.

2: 1-3 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to

2 Sermon : Some Qualities Of A Good Bible Student Page 2 B. A truth seeker must have a passion for the truth. 1. It s ONLY the truth that sets one free from his sins. John 8:32 a. Traditions do not set one free. b. Opinions do not set one free. 2. The bible student will always seek the will of God, NOT of man. a. Eph. 5: 17 - So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. b. Psa. 119: 9- How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. 3. Good people make mistakes. ( We ALL make mistakes, and everyone else as well. ) a. People we love have taught their mistakes to us. b. We have taught our mistakes to others. c. All of us must seek truth all of the time NEVER assume we have it all. C. Truth seekers must have the courage to change. 1. When one studies he learns new things. a. The student cannot become discouraged because of his past errors. b. New knowledge carries with it new responsibility. 2. The objective of study is not just to gain knowledge. a. Unapplied knowledge is of no value. b. James 1: Be poets of the word (creative doers).. or.. self-deceived c. The student s wisdom and knowledge are observable in his life. 3. Learning and changing a synonymous terms. ( Memorizing or reinforcing is not learning.) a. Rom. 12: 2 One s transformation follows the changing of his mind. b. Eph. 4: It s the objective of the church leadership to change people s lives. D. The truth seeker must be persistent in his search. 1. On-again, off-again bible study is seldom very fruitful. 2. Hungering and thirsting after righteousness ( Matt. 5: 6 ) is a part of one s character. 3. Bible study is a learned skill. a. No one is born knowing how to do it. b. It requires practice to become proficient. c. Inactivity causes one skill level to drop. 4. Bible study becomes addictive if practiced long enough.

5: 17 - So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. b. Psa. 119: 9- How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. 3.

3 Sermon : Some Qualities Of A Good Bible Student Page 3 II. To be a good bible student, one must have faith.. A. One will seldom seriously seek the will of one in whom he has no faith. 1. If you don t believe in God, why would one want to know about Him. a. The curious seldom dig deep into the word. b. Some memorize parts to oppose, but do not seek to know God. 2. The one who believes in God can t seem to get enough information about Him. B. The student must have faith that the bible really is the word of God. 1. Many today believe that the bible only contains some words of God. a. They discount that which they cannot explain. ( Miracles, etc. ) b. They try to make the bible politically correct. c. They eliminate things that conflict with our culture. 2. The student of the bible must believe that it is inspired from God. a. Verbally the words come from God, not just the ideas. ( Gal. 3: 16 ) b. Plenary the bible is the complete word of God. ( no further revelation ) c. Confluent the words of God were spoken through the men who wrote them. 3. Jesus promised to reveal ALL truth to His Apostles via the Holy spirit. ( John 16: 13 ) 4. The bible claims that ALL of it came from God. ( II Tim. 3: ) C. The successful student of the bible must have faith in his own ability to learn. 1. The key to success in anything is to be convinced that you can do it. a. Visualize As a man thinks in his heart so is he. Prov. 23:7 b. Positive attitude. 2. His faith in God must include faith in God s ability to communicate with man. a. It is insulting to attribute to God the inability to communicate to His creation. b. It is malicious to think God would give to man written instruction he can t understand. c. It is illogical to think God would use fishermen, etc. to write a book for scholars. 3. He must be willing to us his own abilities to reason. ( Don t turn your brain off. ) a. Any study starts with common sense. b. Acts 17: 2 Paul reasoned with people from the scriptures. c. Isa. 1: 18 God invites man to reason with Him.

The one who believes in God can t seem to get enough information about Him. B. The student must have faith that the bible really is the word of God. 1.

4 Sermon : Some Qualities Of A Good Bible Student Page 4 III. To be a good student of the bible one must be a spiritually mind person.. A. Spiritual things can only be understood by spiritual people. 1. I Cor. 2: But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 2. This is why some people understood the parables of Jesus and other didn t. 3. Spirituality gives one the ability to understand things of the spirit. Col. 1: 9-10 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; B. The spiritual person is one who constantly prays for understanding. 1. The one who walks with God cannot live without talking with God. ( companion ) 2. God has promised to help us understand by giving us wisdom. a. James. 1:5- But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. b. Earthly wisdom just won t cut it when studying the bible. ( Cf - James 3:15 ) 3. Understanding is given through faith. ( Cf - Heb. 11:3 ) C. The spiritual person will accept truth when they find it in the bible. 1. All people have preconceived ideas. a. We all carry our culture into our bible study. b. We all carry our life experience into every bible study. c. We all carry everything we ve ever learned or believed into every bible study. 2. This was one of the problems which caused the Jews to reject Jesus. a. Jesus did not fit their concept of the Messiah. They wanted a conquering king. b. After His resurrection, at breakfast on the beach, Jesus had to open their minds so they could understand. ( Luke 24: 45 ) 3. Opening one s mind is the hardest aspect of successful bible study. 4. It is hard to accept what is written when it is different from what we believe.

15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 2. This is why some people understood the parables of Jesus and other didn t. 3.

5 Sermon : Some Qualities Of A Good Bible Student Page 5 CONCLUSION : A. All Christians have the responsibility to grow in Christ. B. As our love for God grows, our desire to know about Him also grows. C. Knowledge of God comes through a study of His word. D. We must develop our ability to learn, to understand, and to live His word. 1. We must truly be seekers of truth, not just memorizers of doctrine. 2. We must become people of faith, not just of belief. 3. We must become spiritually minded, not just good citizens of this world. INVITATION :

We must truly be seekers of truth, not just memorizers of doctrine. 2. We must become people of faith, not just of belief. 3.

Practical Applications. How to study the Bible for yourself

Practical Applications. How to study the Bible for yourself Practical Applications How to study the Bible for yourself Applying What You ve Learned A topical study involves two things: First, you pick a subject and examine all that the Bible has to say about that