Have we Learned Christ?

Have we Learned Christ?

http://www.insightforliving.com/pdf/messagemates/09.28.2016-mm.pdf

have we learned Christ? It ought to be a startling thought, that we may have learned him wrong. That must he far worse than not to have learned him at all: his place is occupied by a false Christ, hard to exorcise! The point is, whether we have learned Christ as he taught himself, or as men have taught him who thought they understood, but did not understand him. Do we think we know him--with notions fleshly, after low, mean human fancies and explanations, or do we indeed know him--after the spirit, in our measure as God knows him? The Christian religion, throughout its history, has been open to more corrupt misrepresentation than ever the Jewish could be, for as it is higher and wider, so must it yield larger scope to corruption:--have we learned Christ in false statements and corrupted lessons about him, or have we learned himself?   George MacDonald  The Truth in Jesus

As we learned in this message, it’s helpful to look up words in the dictionary, especially in a Bible dictionary, to learn their meanings. Note the key word sacrifice in the following verse:

This is real love — not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.(1 John 4:10, emphasis added)

Turn to this verse in your own Bible and notice the word that is used. Some translations use “atonement” while others say “propitiation.” Look up the word used in your Bible in a Bible dictionary.

How is it defined? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

Once you understand the meaning of this important word that illustrates what Jesus accomplished on the cross, describe sacrifice  (or whatever word is used in your Bible) in your own words, using these passages to assist you.

Romans 3:25 __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

Hebrews 2:17 __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

Becoming a Person of Integrity

Devotions for Word Sermon Series. January 5, 2017 Becoming a Person of Integrity

http://www.insightforliving.com/pdf/messagemates/09.28.2016-mm.pdf

"Unless we read the Word of God, we cannot be instructed by the Spirit, and unless we are instructed by the Spirit, we cannot become godly and effective servants. To put it another way, loving the Word, learning from the Word, and living out the Word are interlocked in God's plan for our spiritual growth."

David McKenna

How to Read a Christian Book, p. 46. 

2. What kind of wisdom can a person get from studying God’s Word? Use Psalm 119:97–105 as your guide.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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3. In any substantive Bible concordance, you will  and multiple Bible verses that include the word integrity. If you have a concordance, And this word in your volume and scan the references it includes. Also, look up each of the following references in your Bible and note God’s calling for believers in each one:

• Deuteronomy 9:5

• 2 Samuel 22:26

• 1 Kings 9:4

• 2 Chronicles 19:7

• Psalm 119:1

• Proverbs 2:7, 21

• Proverbs 10:9, 29

• 1 Timothy 3:8

Father, deepen my love for Your Word and give to me a greater desire to search the Scriptures on my own. Thank You for revealing Yourself in the pages of Your Word and in the person of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Searching the Scriptures

Devotions for Word Sermon Series. January 4, 2017

http://www.insightforliving.com/pdf/messagemates/09.28.2016-mm.pdf

The Searching the Scriptures series is designed to help you not only gain a deeper and more substantive understanding of God’s Word but perhaps more importantly to teach you how to dig deep into the Scriptures for yourself. Over time, you will develop a skill and a style that will serve you for a lifetime.

Not unlike a skilled chef surveys the shelves of the kitchen for all the necessary and perfect ingredients for a delightful and nourishing meal, you can begin a process of learning to prepare spiritual meals for yourself. Ultimately, the goal will be for you to offer these truths to others in ways that are both palatable and enriching spiritually.

So before going any further, you need to put on your apron and ready yourself to try your hand at preparing a wonderful meal of biblical nourishment and encouragement. Are you ready to try your turn? Below are six practical exercises to get you started.

1. Take time to carefully read Psalm 119:1–40. Make a list of everything this psalm says about God’s Word. (Remember that God’s Word can also be referred to as commandments, laws, instructions, decrees, and regulations.) For example, “People who obey God’s Word are joyful” (verse 1), and “God has charged us to obey His commandments” (verse 4).

It will greatly help you to understand scripture if you note – no only what is spoken and written, but of whom and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what goes before and what follows. --Miles Coverdale, in his introduction to his Bible translation.

Scriptural Treasure

Devotions for Word Sermon Series.January 2, 2017

http://www.insightforliving.com/pdf/messagemates/09.28.2016-mm.pdf

“The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.”― Søren Kierkegaard, Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard

Personal Promises

As you do the hard work of digging deep into the Scriptures, personal promises will emerge from your study. By the way, when you are searching the Scriptures, be on the lookout for promises God offers to you. So many passages in the Bible are full of these truths. Psalm 119 is no exception. You can gain . . .

• The promise of spiritual wisdom (Psalm 119:97 – 98)

• The promise of spiritual insight (119:99)

• The promise of spiritual understanding (119:33 – 40)

Ways We Absorb God’s Truth

From our study of Psalm 119, we  nd  ve speci c ways we absorb God’s truth:

1. We absorb God’s truth by hearing it (Romans 10:19).

2. We absorb God’s truth by reading it (Psalm 119:18).

3. We absorb God’s truth by studying it (2 Timothy 2:15).

4. We absorb God’s truth by memorizing it (Psalm 119:13).

5. We absorb God’s truth by meditating on it (Psalm 119:23).

Techniques That Reveal the Treasure

Now you’re ready to dig into the truths of Scripture on your own. To begin to discover the riches of God’s Word, you can use four simple techniques to help you in your study.

1. Observation—What do I see?

2. Interpretation—What does it mean?

3. Correlation — How does it relate?

4. Application—What difference does it make?

Psalms Language of the Heart

Devotions for Word Sermon Series.January 2, 2017

from http://www.insightforliving.com/pdf/retailseries/Searching-the-Scriptures_MessageMates.pdf

Memory Verse: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.  2 Timothy 2:15

A CLOSER LOOK

Psalms Become the Language of the Heart

The book of Psalms in the Old Testament swells with examples of deep human emotion — from the triumphant declaration of godliness in Psalm 1, to the strident questions of a doubting king in Psalm 13, to the fortress-like con dence which  ows from Psalm 46. Each re ects a real-time human experience and the language of a believer going with God in prayer. Image and metaphor become the language of appeal for the faithful—and in the psalms, we  nd a prayer language of our own as we wrestle with how to talk to God.

By becoming students of the Psalms, we can learn to pray and deepen our experience with the Lord. For instance, David cried out to the Lord in Psalm 42: “I hear the tumult of the raging seas / as your waves and surging tides sweep over me”

(Psalm 42:7).

This is the language of a prayer of desperation — the words of one feeling as if life, like a mounting wave, threatens to overtake him.

Psalm 37 contrasts the fate of the wicked with the favor of those who put their trust in God. David, Israel’s shepherd king, called on the Lord in prayer, rehearsing the promises of His goodness for “the one who delights in him” (37:23 NIV).

Any believer struggling to Find words to express the deepest loss or the highest praise needs only turn to the Psalms to find his or her voice and a holy script to bring to God in prayer.

Heart Essentials (Psalm 119:1– 2, 11– 12)

By observing the following key elements in the opening verses of Psalm 119, we discover certain conditions of the heart, or attitudes, essential for studying the Scriptures.

• Personal integrity and purity Joyful are people of integrity,

who follow the instructions of the Lord. (Psalm 119:1)

• A willingness to follow His commands Joyful are those who obey his laws

and search for him with all their hearts. (119:2)

• A commitment of time for prayer and meditation I have hidden your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you. I praise you, O Lord;

teach me your decrees. (119:11–12)

Some Helpful Tools

Just as an archaeologist would never search for buried artifacts without the proper tools, we should never search the Scriptures without these helpful tools for study.

• A Bible. Make certain you have your own copy of the Scriptures in a translation you can understand.

• A Bible dictionary. This resource de nes and provides in-depth information about key words and characters in the Bible.

• A concordance of the Bible. This is virtually an alphabetical listing of every major word in the Bible.

• A set of Bible maps. Most study Bibles today include a very reliable set of maps, typically as part of the end matter. You can also purchase a Bible atlas, which not only includes an extensive selection of maps but scholarly contextual information too.

• Students can also consult important tools online or use very helpful Bible-study software found at www.logos.com, www.biblegateway.com, www.soniclight.com, and many others.