“Spending Time With God Through His Word”
Psalm 19
Sermon Series: “Step Up”
Introduction: Last week we talked about spending time with God. We laid a foundation and talked a little bit about spending time with Him in prayer. We are going to follow
up on that this week by talking about spending time with God through His Word. I want to do this by asking and answering two simple questions, “Why spend time with God through His Word” and “How do we spend time with God through His Word?” It is important for us to remember what Jesus said to Satan when Satan was tempting Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4). He quoted the Old Testament and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
1. Why should we spend time with God through His Word? The answer is really what God’s Word is and what it does. David states some of those things through the poetry of Psalm 19.
A. Being perfect, God’s Word converts the soul (v. 7a, 2 Timothy 3:14-17).
B. Being sure, God’s Word makes the simple wise (v. 7b). Billy Sunday said, “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to a person that isn’t.”
C. Being right, God’s Word causes the heart to rejoice (v. 8a).
D. Being pure, God’s Word enlightens the eyes (v. 8b).
E. Being clean, God’s Word endures forever (v. 9a).
F. Being true and altogether righteous, God’s Word warns the servants of
God against sin and provides great reward (v. 9b-11). John Bunyan wrote, “This Book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Book.”
2. How do we spend time with God through His Word? The Bible is “the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) that is a weapon in our war with the devil. Here are six key ways to take up the sword of the Spirit.
- By reading it (1 Timothy 4:13)
- By meditating on it (Psalm 1)
- By memorizing it (Psalm 119:11)
- By studying it (2 Timothy 2:15)
- By listening to it (Romans 10:17)
- By using it [in resisting temptation, in teaching, in witnessing, in decision-
making, in setting the direction for our lives] (James 1:21-25)
Conclusion: Will you make a commitment and make an appointment to spend time with God through His Word? We want to help you do that on a practical level. Here are some resources to help you in a couple of areas. The first is some online Bible reading plans that you can guide you in reading through the Bible. We also have printed versions available for you today. The second is some basic steps for studying the Bible for yourself.
Online Bible Reading Plans to Choose From
http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/ http://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/?version=NIV http://blog.youversion.com/2013/02/explore-dozens-of-new-bible-reading-plans/ http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/Bible-Reading-Guides.html
Listen to your daily Bible readings using this resource.
www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/
How to download YouVersion. https://www.bible.com/
Steps For Inductive Bible Study
1. Correctly identify the passage.
2. Be sure to read and interpret in context.
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A. Immediate context
B. Context of the book
C. Overall context of the Bible (compare Scripture with Scripture)
3. Read it carefully several times in a single translation.
4. Record your observations and thoughts regarding the text.
5. Write down your questions regarding the things you don’t understand in the text.
6. Do research to answer your questions and gain understanding.
7. Write an interpretation of the passage based on your observations and answers to your questions.
8. Write down the main theme and some key points about the main theme.
