Spiritual Disciplines: Bible Study
The good things in life require work. And it's no different when it comes to enjoying spiritual freedom. The good news is that spiritual freedom is a free gift. Jesus did the hard work. He endured the cross in order to win our freedom; and now anyone who repents of their sin, who commits to Jesus, and who believes that He was raised from the dead is granted spiritual freedom. That's the moment of conversion. At that moment, sin is no longer master over that person. By grace through faith, the new follower of Jesus is freed from sin and from it's eternal consequences.
Jesus makes us free, but we do have to live out that freedom. We do have a role to play if we want to enjoy the freedom that Christ has secured for us. This is where the spiritual disciplines come into play.
Today, I'm summarizing the fourth spiritual discipline that we covered in a recent sermon series entitled Freedom. I hope these summaries are helpful, but I do recommend listening or re-listening to the Sunday messages. To do so click here: FREEDOM.
The fourth spiritual discipline covered was the discipline of Bible study. This includes reading the Bible, meditating on Scripture, memorizing God's word, and journaling.
We began by taking a look at Psalm 19. That psalm begins with a grand statement: "The heavens declared the glory of God." All the galaxies in the universe, the trillions upon trillions of stars, quasars, black holes, nebulas, moons, planets, comets, and asteroids---the entirety of the expanse of the cosmos and all that it contains---all of it points to the majesty, the splendor, and the infinite worth of our all-powerful Creator. But as much as the heavens proclaim the magnificence and resplendence of All Mighty God, they don't do it as well as the Bible.
The Bible reveals more glory than all the stars in the universe, and the reason that's the case is because Scripture reveals to us the very heart of God. The Bible exposes us to the glory of God's grace. It's through God's Word that God reveals Himself to us. In it He tells us who He is, informs us of His character, teaches us how to live, warns us of danger, and even tells us about the future. The Bible is God's gift to us that we may know how to walk in freedom. Therefore, it is crucial that we read it, study it, and apply it to our lives.
We also took a look at John 15. John 15 tells us that just as a branch is to abide in the vine we must abide in Jesus. To abide means to make your home. In other words, followers of Jesus are to make their home (abode) in Jesus; and the way we do that is by practicing the spiritual discipline of Bible study.
What happens if you cut-off a vine from the life-giving vine? It begins to wither and dies. It's the same with us. When we don't spend time in God's Word, we begin to wither spiritually. Bible study is how we stay connected to God and receive the spiritual nutrients we need to be spiritual healthy and to produce good spiritual fruit in our lives.
Here are a few simple suggestions for how to commit to Bible study:
I hope that you will devote sufficient time to God's Word. Let God reveal His heart to yours. Make Jesus your abode and enjoy the freedom that He won for you through His life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
In awe of Jesus,
Pastor Rick
Jesus makes us free, but we do have to live out that freedom. We do have a role to play if we want to enjoy the freedom that Christ has secured for us. This is where the spiritual disciplines come into play.
Today, I'm summarizing the fourth spiritual discipline that we covered in a recent sermon series entitled Freedom. I hope these summaries are helpful, but I do recommend listening or re-listening to the Sunday messages. To do so click here: FREEDOM.
The fourth spiritual discipline covered was the discipline of Bible study. This includes reading the Bible, meditating on Scripture, memorizing God's word, and journaling.
We began by taking a look at Psalm 19. That psalm begins with a grand statement: "The heavens declared the glory of God." All the galaxies in the universe, the trillions upon trillions of stars, quasars, black holes, nebulas, moons, planets, comets, and asteroids---the entirety of the expanse of the cosmos and all that it contains---all of it points to the majesty, the splendor, and the infinite worth of our all-powerful Creator. But as much as the heavens proclaim the magnificence and resplendence of All Mighty God, they don't do it as well as the Bible.
The Bible reveals more glory than all the stars in the universe, and the reason that's the case is because Scripture reveals to us the very heart of God. The Bible exposes us to the glory of God's grace. It's through God's Word that God reveals Himself to us. In it He tells us who He is, informs us of His character, teaches us how to live, warns us of danger, and even tells us about the future. The Bible is God's gift to us that we may know how to walk in freedom. Therefore, it is crucial that we read it, study it, and apply it to our lives.
We also took a look at John 15. John 15 tells us that just as a branch is to abide in the vine we must abide in Jesus. To abide means to make your home. In other words, followers of Jesus are to make their home (abode) in Jesus; and the way we do that is by practicing the spiritual discipline of Bible study.
What happens if you cut-off a vine from the life-giving vine? It begins to wither and dies. It's the same with us. When we don't spend time in God's Word, we begin to wither spiritually. Bible study is how we stay connected to God and receive the spiritual nutrients we need to be spiritual healthy and to produce good spiritual fruit in our lives.
Here are a few simple suggestions for how to commit to Bible study:
- Schedule it into your day and week
- Ask someone to hold you accountable
- Have a Bible reading plan (Click here for some suggestions: PLAN)
- Join a Bible study group
- If you've never read or studied the Bible, begin in the Gospel of Matthew or the Book of James
- Always remember, the goal is filling your head with information, but learning more about God and growing closer to Him.
I hope that you will devote sufficient time to God's Word. Let God reveal His heart to yours. Make Jesus your abode and enjoy the freedom that He won for you through His life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
In awe of Jesus,
Pastor Rick
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