Lesson
#1
LORD,
TEACH ME
TO
STUDY YOUR WORD
Q.
Who are you ASKING to teach you to STUDY the Bible?
A. The
Lord.
REVIEW:
The FAITHFULNESS of Almighty God
1 John 5:14,15 ASSURES us that if we ASK ANYTHING that
is ACCORDING to God's WILL then Almighty God will ANSWER our request
without a doubt.
“And
THIS
is the CONFIDENCE that we have in him (Almighty
God, or WHAT is the CONFIDENCE that we have in Almighty God that he
is FAITHFUL to DO?),
THAT,
if we ASK ANY
THING
according
to his WILL,
he HEARS
us:
15.
AND
if we KNOW
that he HEARS
US,
(THEN)
WHAT
SO EVER
we ASK, we KNOW
THAT
we
have the petitions that we desired of him.”
Q.
So
then, since we KNOW that WHATSOEVER we ask of Almighty God that is
ACCORDING to his WILL that we SHALL RECIEVE, then is it God's WILL
for us to STUDY his WORD, the Holy Bible? In other words, does
Almighty God desire for us to know and understand his WORD? Is it
ACCORDING to the WILL of God for us to study, know and understand his
WORD?
A. If it is WRITTEN in his WORD in such a way that
God is asking, instructing, or commanding us to do, then surely
without a doubt it is ACCORDING to God's WILL for us!
So
then, let us see if it is God's WILL for us to STUDY his WORD by
going to the very WORD of Almighty God by reading
2 Timothy 2:15, which is almost given as a COMMAND for
us to STUDY the WORD of God, so that we will NOT be confused or
ashamed.
“STUDY
to show your self approved unto God, a workman that needs NOT to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth.”
Also
Jesus teaches us in John 8:30-32 to CONTINUE in his WORD, for in
doing so, then this WORD of TRUTH will make us FREE.
“As he (Jesus)
spoke these
words, many believed on him.
31. Then said Jesus to those
Jews which believed on him, If
you continue in my word,
then are you my disciples indeed;
32. And you shall KNOW the
TRUTH,
and the TRUTH
shall MAKE you free.”
So then, from these verses alone we can KNOW that not
only is it God's WILL for us to STUDY his WORD, but ALSO to CONTINUE
in his WORD so that his WORD will MAKE us FREE.
With that being said, let us now go to James 1:5-8 where
we are taught HOW we are to ASK Almighty God for WISDOM, or
understanding how to APPLY what we have learned from God's word to
our lives.
“If ANY
of you
lack WISDOM, let him ASK of God, that gives to ALL men liberally,
and upbraids
NOT; and IT
(WISDOM)
shall be
given him.
6. BUT
let him ASK in
FAITH,
nothing
wavering .
(WHY?)
For he that
wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7. For let NOT
that man
(the
one who WAVERS in his FAITH) think
that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.(Why
is this? For or because)
8.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
Q.
So
what does these verses teach us?
A.
First
of all they teach us that God INVITES us ALL to ASK him for WISDOM or
the UNDERSTANDING of HOW to APPLY that which we have learned to our
lives.
Secondly
we learn that Almighty God will without fail GIVE to ALL who ASK of
him WISDOM LIBERALLY
or
generously and that he will NOT upbraid or rebuke any one for ASKING.
In other words, God will NOT refuse anyone WISDOM who ASK in FAITH.
So then, we also see a CONDITION that is placed upon our
AKING Almighty God for ANYTHING that we DESIRE of him that is
ACCORDING to his WILL.
In other words, we see TWO stipulations for ASKING of
God in order to RECEIVE the THINGS that we desire of God.
FIRST: What we ASK of God MUST be ACCORDING to his WILL!
SECOND: What we ask of God MUST be in FAITH WITHOUT
WAVERING!
Therefore IF these TWO CONDITIONS are meet, then we can
be ASSURED that WHAT SO EVER we ASK of God WILL WITHOUT FAIL be GIVEN
to us.
I want us to look at a couple more verses of scripture
that ASSURES us that Almighty God desires us to learn and understand
his WORD. Please read 1 John 2:27, which tells us that God has given
to us as believers his Holy Spirit to TEACH us all things.
"But
the ANOINTING which you have received of him abides in you, and you
need not that any man TEACH you: but as the same
anointing teaches you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall
abide in him."
The
anointing of the Holy Spirit abiding in us TEACHES us all things so
that we do not need for any man to teach us. We are told in John
16:13 that Almighty God sent us his Holy Spirit to GUIDE us into all
truth.
"Howbeit when he, the
Spirit of truth, is come, he will GUIDE you into all truth: for he
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall
he speak: and he will show you things to come."
Then we read in 1 Corinthians 2:9-16,
"But as it is written,
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.
10. But God has REVEALED them
unto us by
his Spirit:
for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11. For what man knows the
things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the
things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.
12. Now we have received, not
the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; (WHY?)that
we might KNOW
the things
that are freely given to us of God.
13. Which things also we
speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but
which the Holy Ghost teaches;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14. But the natural man
receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.
15. But he that is spiritual
judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16. For who has known the
mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of
Christ."
With all that being said, Let us now ASK of Almighty God
to TEACH us to STUDY his WORD and give us WISDOM to UNDERSATND HOW to
APPLY his WORD to our lives.
PRAYER:
Hosea 4:1-3,6
“HEAR
the WORD
of the LORD,
you children of Israel:(WHY?)
for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,
(WHY?)
because there
is NO TRUTH, nor
mercy, nor
KNOWLEDGE of God
in the land.
2. By swearing, and lying,
and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out,
and blood touches blood.
3. Therefore (or
for this REASON. What reason?) shall
the land mourn, and every one that dwells therein shall languish,
with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the
fishes of the sea also shall be taken away....
6. My people are DESTROYED
(WHY?)
for lack of
KNOWLEDGE:
because you have rejected
knowledge,
(then)
I will also
reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: (WHY?)
seeing you
have forgotten the law of your God,
I will also forget your children.”
Asking
questions of the text to God like; Who is speaking? And to WHOM is
the speaker speaking to? And why are these words being spoken? Is
called OBSERVATION.
The
next step after OBSERVING what the text in saying to us, then we need
to learn to APPLY
what
we have learned from God's word to our lives. We do this by asking
more questions like the 5W's and the H questions: who, what, when,
where, why, and how about specific KEY words found in the text.
Obviously for me the first question that I would ask is
HOW can I apply what I have just learned from God's word to my life?
One thing that some forget is the WHERE question. WHERE
do I begin in APPLYING what I have learned from God's word to my
life?
Well begin the same way you began to study God's word,
which is by ASKING Almighty God the question HOW do I APPLY this
knowledge that you have revealed to me O Lord. Seek God in ever
question you ask. Yes ask yourself the question, but also ask God to
show you the TRUTH of his WORD and that you DISCERN truth from error
as easily as you know light from darkness.
The next question would be WHEN? When to I begin to
apply God's word to my life? Obviously TODAY is the day of salvation,
so begin immediately. Then anytime you hear the prompting of the Holy
Spirit leading you to read something in God's word, or to listen to a
preacher on the radio, or to read a particular book, then DO IT. Do
not put it off for another time. MAKE TIME for God. Draw near unto
God and God will DRAW NEAR unto YOU!
Then search your heart for the MOTIVE of WHY you are
seeking to APPLY what you have learned from God's word to your live?
Is it for SELF first. Or is it for pleasing God first, which will
often lead to bringing pleasure and joy to self as well. WHO get the
glory would be a good question?
WHAT do I need to do next after I have asked God to help
me APPLY this knowledge that I have learned from his word? LISTEN for
that small still voice of the Holy Spirit that leads and guides us
into all truth. LISTEN for a verse that the Holy Spirit may bring to
your remembrance. The Lord may lead you to look up a meaning of a
word in the text. The Lord may lead you to pray in a more specific
way, or in a different direction. Or the Holy Spirit may lead you to
keep on reading the same text over and over, or continue reading more
of the context surrounding the text that you are studying. It may be
that you get nothing right away, so what I do is have this imaginary
shelf, so to speak, where I place what I am studying on this shelf
TRUSTING and BELIEVING that God will continue giving me understanding
as I continue reading and studying his word in other areas. In other
words, have PATIENCE, God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL to answer your questions
in relation to UNDERSTANDING and APPLYING his WORD to your life.
Then the final question is WHO. Who do you O God desire
for me to SHARE this REVELATION KNOWLEDGE that you have given me that
has so blessed my life?
This
principal of asking questions of Almighty God of how to APPLY his
word to your life is called APPLICATION.
And when we APPLY God's word to our life it ALWAYS leads us CLOSER to
God and KEEPS us in the WAY that we should go.
Now let us read Hosea 4:1-3,6 again and use our colored
pencils to highlight KEY words, such as KNOWLEDGE.
Hosea 4:1-3,6
“HEAR
the WORD
of
the LORD,
you children of Israel:(WHY?)
for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,
(WHY?)
because there
is NO TRUTH,
nor mercy,
nor
KNOWLEDGE of God
in the land.
2. By swearing, and lying,
and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out,
and blood touches blood.
3. Therefore
(or
for this REASON. What reason?) shall
the land
mourn, and every one that dwells therein
shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of
heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away....
6.
My
people
are DESTROYED
(WHY?)
for
lack of KNOWLEDGE:
because you have rejected
knowledge,
(then)
I
will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: (WHY?)
seeing
you have forgotten the law
of your God,
I will also forget your children.”
Q.
Who
is speaking?
A.
The
prophet Hosea is speaking the WORD of the Lord to God's People.
Q.
To
whom is the Lord speaking to through his prophet Hosea?
A.
The
Lord is speaking to his PEOPLE through his prophet Hosea WARNING his
people that they are and shall be DESTROYED for the very reason that
they LACK KNOWLEDGE. And the reason that they lack knowledge is
because they have left off or forgotten the law of God. Or in other
words they have REJECTED the KNOWLEDGE of Almighty God.
Q.
Why?
What is the reason for the words being spoken?
A.
The
reason God is speaking to his PEOPLE is because he does NOT desire
his PEOPLE to be DESTROYED. Therefore he is WARNING his PEOPLE to GET
and KEEP KNOWLEDGE.
Q.
What
is God's concern about Israel's knowledge?
A.
God
is concerned that Israel has left off follow him and that they have
forgotten his law or commandment.
Q.
Knowledge
of what or whom?
A.
The
LACK of KNOWLEDGE of BOTH God and his WORD.
Q.
Where?
A.
In
the land of Israel.
Q.
Who
is saying this and to whom?
A.
Almighty
God is speaking his WORD to his PEOPLE Israel through his prophet
Hosea.
Q.
What
is happening, BECAUSE of NO TRUTH and LACK of KNOWLEDGE.?
A.
BECAUSE
or for the very REASON of NO TRUTH and LACK of KNOWLEDGE the people
have gone away from God to swear, lie, steal, kill, commit adultery
and shed the blood of their very own people.
When
I read;
blood touching blood,
I though of gang violence where one gang kills someone and another
gang seeks revenge and kills a member of the other gang and it just
escalates from there.
In other words, VIOLENCE filled the land to where the whole land
LANGUISHED. Neighborhoods where gang violence is rampant the people
live in fear and they languish.
The word “LANGUISH” here means to be weak-willed, to
be hot, feverish, to wither, to languish, to fade away, and to grow
feeble or grow weak.
(explain about how to use an exhaustive concordance)
More questions....
Romans 15:4 teaches us that the things written in the
Old Testament are written for our instruction.
“For whatsoever things were
WRITTEN a fore time were WRITTEN for
our learning,
that we through patience and comfort of the SCRIPTURES
might have
hope.”
We also learn for 2 Timothy 3:14-17 that God's WORD is
INSPIRED of God and that all SCRIPTURE is good for INSTRUCTION in
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
“But CONTINUE you in the
things which you have LEARNED and have been assured
of,
knowing of whom
you have learned them;
15. And that from a child
you have known the holy
scriptures,
which are able to make you wise
unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16. ALL SCRIPTURE is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness:
(WHY?)
17.
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all
good works.”
Also
read 2 Peter 1:20,21
“Knowing this first, that
no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21. For the prophecy came
not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Q.
When
you studied KNOWLEDGE did you see anything that parallels our
situation today? What was is?
A.
911
and the increase violence in the world that wants to say that there
is NO God. Taking prayer out of school and anything that represents
the TRUE God in public places. Passing laws that embrace the things
that are an abomination to Almighty God, such as same sex marriages,
and abortions.
Q.
Do
you think people are DESTROYED for LACK of KNOWLEDGE of God? How?
A.
Absolutely!
People are destroyed because of lack of knowledge in general, but
even Christians are destroyed by their lack of knowledge of what God
has provided for them. Healing for example.
More questions......
Day #2
TEXT: Please read 2 Kings 22:1-20. Read through
carefully two times.
“JOSIAH
was eight
years old
when he began to reign,
and he
(Josiah)
reigned thirty
and one years
in Jerusalem. And his
(Josiah)
mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
2. And he
)king
Josiah)
did that which
was RIGHT
in the sight of the LORD, and WALKED in all the WAY
of David his father, and turned
NOT aside
to the right hand or to the left.
3. And it came to pass in
the eighteenth
year
of king
Josiah
(8yrs old of first year as king plus eighteen years of reigning
equals 26 years of age of king Josiah when),
that the king
sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe,
to the house
of the LORD,
saying,
4. Go up to Hilkiah the high
priest, that he may sum
the silver
which is brought into the house
of the LORD,
which the keepers
of the door
have gathered of the people:
5. And let them
deliver it
into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of
the house
of the LORD:
and let them
give it
to the doers of the work which is in the house
of the LORD,
to repair the breaches
of the house,
6. Unto carpenters, and
builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair
the house.
7. Howbeit there was no
reckoning made
with them
of the money
that was delivered into their
hand, because they
dealt faithfully.
8. And Hilkiah the high
priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book
of the law
in
the house of the LORD.
And Hilkiah gave the book
to Shaphan, and he read it.
9. And Shaphan
the scribe
came to the king,
and brought the king
word again, and said, Your
servants have gathered the money
that was found
in the house,
and have delivered it
into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight
of the house of the LORD.
10. And Shaphan the scribe
shewed the king,
saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book.
And Shaphan read it
before the king.
11. And it came to pass,
when the king
had heard the words
of the book of the law,
that he
(king
Josaiah)
rent his
clothes.
12. And the king
commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and
Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a
servant of the king's,
saying,
13. Go
you, inquire of the LORD for me,
and for the people, and for all Judah, CNCERNING
the words
of this book
that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled
against us, (WHY?)
because our
fathers have NOT
hearkened
unto the words
of this book,
to do according unto all
that which is written
concerning us.
14. So Hilkiah the priest,
and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah
the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of
Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the
college;) and they communed with her.
15. And she said unto them,
Thus says the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man
that sent you to me,
16. Thus says the LORD,
Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants
thereof, even all the words
of the book
which the king
of Judah
has read:(WHY?)
17. Because
they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that
they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands;
therefore (or
for this REASON)
my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be
quenched.
18. But to the king
of Judah which sent you to inquire of the LORD,
thus shall you say to him,
Thus says the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words
which you
have heard;
19. BECAUSE
(because WHAT?)
your
heart was
tender, and you have humbled yourself before the LORD,
when you
HEARD
what I spoke
against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they
should become a desolation and a curse, and have rent
your
clothes, and wept before me;
I also have
HEARD you,
says the LORD.
20. Behold therefore, I will
gather you
unto your fathers, and you
shall be gathered into your
grave in peace; and your
eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.
And they brought the king
word again,”
So what did you learn from this chapter? Briefly what I
learned was that WHEN Josiah HEARD the WORD of the Lord, he was moved
with COMPASSION for the people and HUMBLE himself to SEEK the Lord on
their behalf. And BECAUSE of this ACTION of Josiah he was REWARDED by
Almighty God and Josiah was brought to his grave in PEACE. In other
words, the JUDGMENT of God for his people who rejected KNOWLEDGE was
suspended until his life was completed and he went to his grave in
PEACE.
Day #3
Refer back to Day #2
Day
#4
I was 23 years old when I gave my heart to the Lord
Jesus Christ and asked him to come into my life and help me live a
live that is pleasing to God.
It took a couple of weeks of disciplining myself to read
the Bible, but when I read a particular verse and my eyes of
understanding were opened, then there came a hunger in my life to
read God's word. It was no longer a chore that I had to virtually
make myself to do, but rather it became a great joy to read the
Bible. It was a hunger in me that compelled me to read the Bible.
Something I look forward to doing.
Q.
How old was Josiah when he became king?
A.
Josiah
was just a young boy of eight years old when he became king of Judah.
Q.
How
long did Josiah rule?
A.
King
Josiah reigned over Judah for thirty one years.
Q.
Where
did Josiah rule?
A.
Josiah
ruled over God's people Israel in the land of Judah.
Q.
What
was Josiah like?
A.
Josiah
was a righteous man and did that which was RIGHT in the sight of God
as did his father David.
Q.
What
happened in the eighteenth year of the reign of king Josiah?
A.
King
Josiah sent Shaphan the grandson of a scribe to the high priest to
have the high priest distribute the money that had been collected
from the people to workers to repair the house of the Lord. And while
this was being done the book of the law was found in the house of the
Lord and was brought back to king Josiah and read to him.
Q.
How
old was Josiah when this took place? Do the math.
A.
If
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign and on his
eighteenth year of reigning this took place, then 8+18=26 years old.
Now
let us do what is called by some “CROSS-REFERENCING”
and by others “COMPARING
SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE”
by reading another account of king Josiah found in 2 Chronicles
34:1-8
“Josiah
was eight
years old
when he
began to reign, and he
reigned in Jerusalem
one
and thirty years.
2. And he
did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the
ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor
to the left.
3. For in the eighth
year of his
reign , while he
was yet young, he
began to seek after the God of David his
father: and in the twelfth
year he
began to purge Judah
and Jerusalem
from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the
molten images.
4. And they brake down the
altars of Baalim in his
presence;
and the images, that were on
high above them,
he
cut down ; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten
images, he
brake in pieces , and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the
graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
5. And he
burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah
and Jerusalem.
6. And so did he
in the cities of Manasseh,
and Ephraim,
and Simeon,
even unto Naphtali,
with their mattocks round about.
7.
And when he
had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven
images into powder , and cut down all the idols throughout all
the land of Israel,
he
returned to
Jerusalem.
8. Now
in the eighteenth year
of his
reign , when he
had purged the
land, and the
house,
he
sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the
city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of
the LORD his God.”
Q.
What
insights in Josiah's life did you find when reading 2 Chronicles
34:1-8?
A.
Then
thing that jump out at me was Josiah BEGAN seeking the Lord in his
EIGTH year of reigning and in his TWEVTH year he began to purge
Israel form their idols, and yet in 2 Kings we are told he did not
hear the book of the law until his EIGTHEENTH year of reign. So WHERE
did Josiah get his KNOWLEDGE about God to do these things, seeing he
had NOT yet HEARD the book of the law of God until his EIGHTEENTH
year of reigning over the land of Judah?
More questions.....
Day #5
Q.
When
you read 2 Chronicles did you wonder WHY?, or WHAT caused Josiah to
BEGIN seeking the Lord at age 16?
A.
Yes,
I did, seeing in 2 Kings Josiah did not yet HEAR the book of the law
until he was 26 years old.
In Zephaniah 1:1 we can again use a CROSS REFERENCE or
comparing scripture with scripture to help shed some light on this
question.
“The
WORD
of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of
Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the DAYS
of
Josiah
the son
of Amon,
king of Judah. 2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land
, saith the LORD.”
Here we see Josiah being the son of Amon, which means
TRUSTWORTHY, and in 2 Kings we saw that David was his father.
Matthew says this about the genealogy of Josiah. Please
read Matthew 1:6-11, which reads as follows form the King James
Version of the Bible,
“And Jesse begat David the
king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife
of Urias;
7. And Solomon begat Roboam;
and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
8. And Asa begat Josaphat;
and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;
9. And Ozias begat Joatham;
and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;
10. And Ezekias begat
Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias (or
Josiah);
11. And Josias (
Josiah) begat
Jechonias and his brethren, about
the time they were carried away to Babylon:”
So from Matthew we learn that Josiah was a direct
descendant of king David, but was the actual son of Amon just as
Zephaniah related to us. God's people referred to Abraham being their
“father”, and yet they were just descendants of Abraham, so in
the same way David was the “father” Josiah, but not his direct
biological father, which was Amon.
Q.
What
did the prophet Zephaniah call God's people to do?
A.
The
answer is found in Zephaniah 2:1-3, which is where God calls his
people to SEEK him.
“Gather yourselves
together, yea, gather together, O
nation NOT desired;
(WHEN
and WHY?)
2. BEFORE
the decree
bring forth,
BEFORE the day pass as the chaff, BEFORE the fierce anger of the LORD
come upon you, BEFORE the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you.
3. Seek
you the LORD,
all you meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek
righteousness,
seek
meekness:
(WHY?)
it may
be you shall be HID in the day of the LORD'S anger.”
Q.
What
has brought you to the point to do a study such as this? To learn how
to study the Bible and seek the Lord?
A.
Q.
Have
you learned anything that has encouraged you? What?
A.
Q.
Do
you KNOW that God ASSURE us that if we SEEK him, then we WILL without
fail FIND him?
A.
Scriptures
that teach us this TRUTH. Jeremiah 29:13 is one such scripture.
“Then shall you call upon
me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13. And you shall SEEK me,
and FIND me, when
you shall SEARCH for me with
all your heart.
14. And I will be FOUND of
you, says the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will
gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I
have driven you, says the LORD; and I will bring you again into the
place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
15. Because you have said,
The LORD has raised us up prophets in Babylon;
16. KNOW that thus says the
LORD of the king that sits upon the throne of David, and of all the
people that dwells in this city, and of your brethren that are not
gone forth with you into captivity;”
If you think about it, just common sense or mere logic
would tell us that God is NOT going to ask us to SEEK him if he could
NOT be FOUND. In other words, God is NOT going to ask of command us
to do something that CANNOT be done or accomplished.
Here
are some more verses of scripture that teach us that Almighty God is
FAITHFUL to his WORD that IF we SEEK him we WILL without fail FIND
him. Please read Deuteronomy
4:29, which says,
“But
if from thence you shall SEEK the LORD your God, you shall FIND him,
IF
you SEEK him
with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”
Matthew
7:7,8 and Luke 11:9,10 says,
“Ask, and it shall be given
you; SEEK, and you shall FIND; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you:
8. For every
one that
asks receives ; and he that SEEKS FINDS; and to him that knocks it
shall be opened.”
Acts
17:26,27 teaches us that Almighty God desires ALL men to SEEK him and
that he is CLOSE to each and EVERY ONE of us.
“And has made of one blood
all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has
determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation;
27. That they should SEEK
the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and FIND him, though
he be not far from every one of us.”
Day #6
The title of Day six is called the impact of FIRSTHAND
knowledge. When I read this I immediately thought of when Jesus ask
Simon Peter whom do men say that I am? And Peter answered, some say
Elijah and others John the Baptist and others one of the prophets.
Then Jesus asked Peter directly and said whom do YOU say that I am?
And Peter responded back and said to Jesus, You are the Christ, the
Son of the living God. Then Jesus responded back with something I
call FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE. Jesus said to Peter, Blessed are you Simon
Peter, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but your
Father in heaven has revealed this to you. Go ahead and read Matthew
16:13-18 where we learn that the gates of hell shall not prevail
against this kind of FIRSTHAND REVEALED KNOWLEDGE from the Holy
Spirit of Almighty God.
“When Jesus came into the
coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do
men say that I the Son of man am ?
14. And they said, Some say
that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or
one of the prophets.
15. He said unto them, But
whom say you that I am ?
16. And Simon Peter answered
and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17. And Jesus answered and
said unto him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona: (WHY?)
for (or
because) flesh
and blood has NOT revealed it unto you, but my Father which is in
heaven.
18. And I say also unto you,
That you are Peter, and upon this ROCK (this
solid unshakable foundation of REVEALED or FIRSTHAND knowledge from
the Holy Spirit of Almighty God) I
will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it.”
Discuss question in the book.
Day #7
Consider America and how our country has departed from
God.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
“When you are come unto the
land which the LORD your God gives you, and shall possess it, and
shalt\l dwell therein, and shall say, I will set a king over me, like
as all the nations that are about me;
15. You shall in any wise
set him king over you, whom the LORD your God shall choose: one from
among your brethren shall you set king over you: you may not set a
stranger over you, which is not your brother.
16. But he shall not
multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt,
to the end that he should multiply horses: for as much as the LORD
has said unto you, You shall henceforth return no more that way.
17. Neither shall he
multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither
shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
18. And it shall be, when he
sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall WRITE him a COPY
of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the
Levites:
19. And it shall be with
him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may
learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and
these statutes, to do them:
20. That his heart be not
lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the
commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he
may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the
midst of Israel.”
2
Kings 23:1-3 teaches us that Josiah made a verbal covenant with God
to keep all that was WRITTEN in the book of the law.
“And the king sent, and
they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
2. And the king went up into
the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets,
and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears
all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the
house of the LORD.
3. And the king stood by a
pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD,
and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes
with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this
covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to
the covenant.”
What is “INDUCTIVE” studying the Bible?
PRAYER: Colossians 1:9-12
“For this cause we also,
since the day we heard it, do not cease to PRAY for you, and to
desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all
wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10. That you might walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11. Strengthened with all
might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long
suffering with joyfulness;
12. Giving thanks unto the
Father, which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of
the saints in light:”