The way to study the Bible:
People get the wrong idea about the Bible. They use it to see what they can take from it for themselves. How typical of man. They use it for guidance in hard times; they use it for knowledge; they use it for comfort; they use it for instructions of how to live. I wonder how many people out there read the Bible to worship God? The Bible can help in all of these areas. However to read the Bible just for these self-benefiting purposes is missing out on what the Bible is really all about - Jesus.
We all have our favourite Bible character, whether it is the tenacity and outspokenness of Peter, the strength and might of Samson, the courage and bravery of David, the loyalty of Joseph, the beauty of Esther or the wisdom of King Solomon. However the one that we should always search for when reading the Scriptures is Jesus Christ. For in every character in the Bible, Jesus can be found. Indeed every story or historical event in the Bible, Jesus can be found.
The Bible is a big book about Jesus our Saviour: why He had to come, who He was, what He did, what He will do and how He will do it. Lord Jesus is present in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible ( Genesis 1:3 "God said 'Let there be Light, and there was Light, and God saw the Light, that it was good"), Lord Jesus is also present in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible (Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega; the Beginning and the End; the First and the Last") and He is present at every part in between.
Psalm 118 is the middle chapter of the Bible. It's subject matter is of no exception - It's all about Christ, the chief capstone that the builders rejected ( Psalm 118:22)!
Psalm 118:
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel now say,“His mercy endures forever.”
3
Let the house of Aaron now say,“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
5
I called on the Lord in distress;The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.
10
All nations surrounded me,But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.[a]
15
The voice of rejoicing and salvationIs in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19
Open to me the gates of righteousness;I will go through them,
And I will praise the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
21
I will praise You,For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.
22
The stone which the builders rejectedHas become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25
Save now, I pray, O Lord;O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
29
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!For His mercy endures forever.
When we read the Bible we should read it constantly thinking 'How does this passage show Jesus?'. If we look for Jesus in everything we read our eyes will be opened and the mystery of the Scriptures will be revealed to us, just as Jesus revealed them to his disciples in Luke 24.
Luke 24:45 "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
I once heard a preacher talk about how wonderful it must of been for the disciples to have their minds opened so that they could understand scripture and how he wished his mind would be opened... But our minds are opened! We know the mystery of the Scriptures because Jesus has told us. When Jesus opened their minds He told them about Himself and what He had come to do. That is the mystery of the Scriptures - Jesus Christ. It is all about Him. God can bless us today with spiritual understanding, however as BAC's God has already blessed all of us by revealing the mystery of Scripture. We know what the mystery is, it is Christ. Now it is our job to search out Christ in everything we read.
46 "He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
Verse 44 confirms that what is written by Moses and David too is about Him. 44 "He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”"
Where should we search for Christ? We should search for Him in both the OT and the NT. This will take your study to a whole new level. Leviticus is viewed as a rather dry, heavy book of laws. Read it as a law book and it can be pretty boring. But read it and look for Jesus in every law and it becomes a very engaging and living book, relevant to today. Remember, Jesus came to fulfil the law, therefore Jesus can be seen in every law.
As BAC's we should not read only the OT, as we are no longer living in that age. The mystery of the Scriptures is revealed in the NT, therefore if we only read the OT, it will not make sense to us because we will not know the mystery. We are now living in the age of grace. However, we should not solely focus on the NT either, as this will bring about a generation of shallow minded Christians who do not appreciate the importance and centrality of Christ to everything and resemble life-coaches, more than God-worshippers.
The problem with so many preachers today is that they focus too much on the NT and neglect the OT. By doing so they become mentors on how we should live, rather than preachers on why we should live for Christ and why salvation came.
Once we know the mystery of the Scriptures, the OT takes on a whole new meaning. It all starts to make perfect sense, because we know what we are looking for! Remember, every revelation of God comes in the OT. The NT then reveals and clarifies those OT revelations. Whilst the NT teaches us how to live, the OT teaches us why. Our personal problems with sin will be much less enflamed if we know the reason that we should not do a certain thing, rather than simply not doing it because we are told not to do it.
We should read both the OT and NT equally and search for Christ in every page. Doing this will enrich our studies and deepen our relationship with God as we start to see His awesome plan on every page.
-BACChristian
We all have our favourite Bible character, whether it is the tenacity and outspokenness of Peter, the strength and might of Samson, the courage and bravery of David, the loyalty of Joseph, the beauty of Esther or the wisdom of King Solomon. However the one that we should always search for when reading the Scriptures is Jesus Christ. For in every character in the Bible, Jesus can be found. Indeed every story or historical event in the Bible, Jesus can be found.
The Bible is a big book about Jesus our Saviour: why He had to come, who He was, what He did, what He will do and how He will do it. Lord Jesus is present in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible ( Genesis 1:3 "God said 'Let there be Light, and there was Light, and God saw the Light, that it was good"), Lord Jesus is also present in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible (Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega; the Beginning and the End; the First and the Last") and He is present at every part in between.
Psalm 118 is the middle chapter of the Bible. It's subject matter is of no exception - It's all about Christ, the chief capstone that the builders rejected ( Psalm 118:22)!
Psalm 118:
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel now say,“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron now say,“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
I called on the Lord in distress;The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.
All nations surrounded me,But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
11 They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.[a]
The voice of rejoicing and salvationIs in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
Open to me the gates of righteousness;I will go through them,
And I will praise the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
I will praise You,For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejectedHas become the chief cornerstone.
23 This was the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Save now, I pray, O Lord;O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!For His mercy endures forever.
When we read the Bible we should read it constantly thinking 'How does this passage show Jesus?'. If we look for Jesus in everything we read our eyes will be opened and the mystery of the Scriptures will be revealed to us, just as Jesus revealed them to his disciples in Luke 24.
Luke 24:45 "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
I once heard a preacher talk about how wonderful it must of been for the disciples to have their minds opened so that they could understand scripture and how he wished his mind would be opened... But our minds are opened! We know the mystery of the Scriptures because Jesus has told us. When Jesus opened their minds He told them about Himself and what He had come to do. That is the mystery of the Scriptures - Jesus Christ. It is all about Him. God can bless us today with spiritual understanding, however as BAC's God has already blessed all of us by revealing the mystery of Scripture. We know what the mystery is, it is Christ. Now it is our job to search out Christ in everything we read.
46 "He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
Verse 44 confirms that what is written by Moses and David too is about Him. 44 "He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”"
Where should we search for Christ? We should search for Him in both the OT and the NT. This will take your study to a whole new level. Leviticus is viewed as a rather dry, heavy book of laws. Read it as a law book and it can be pretty boring. But read it and look for Jesus in every law and it becomes a very engaging and living book, relevant to today. Remember, Jesus came to fulfil the law, therefore Jesus can be seen in every law.
As BAC's we should not read only the OT, as we are no longer living in that age. The mystery of the Scriptures is revealed in the NT, therefore if we only read the OT, it will not make sense to us because we will not know the mystery. We are now living in the age of grace. However, we should not solely focus on the NT either, as this will bring about a generation of shallow minded Christians who do not appreciate the importance and centrality of Christ to everything and resemble life-coaches, more than God-worshippers.
The problem with so many preachers today is that they focus too much on the NT and neglect the OT. By doing so they become mentors on how we should live, rather than preachers on why we should live for Christ and why salvation came.
Once we know the mystery of the Scriptures, the OT takes on a whole new meaning. It all starts to make perfect sense, because we know what we are looking for! Remember, every revelation of God comes in the OT. The NT then reveals and clarifies those OT revelations. Whilst the NT teaches us how to live, the OT teaches us why. Our personal problems with sin will be much less enflamed if we know the reason that we should not do a certain thing, rather than simply not doing it because we are told not to do it.
We should read both the OT and NT equally and search for Christ in every page. Doing this will enrich our studies and deepen our relationship with God as we start to see His awesome plan on every page.
-BACChristian
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