INTERNATIONAL BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH, BANGKOK, THAILAND

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON STUDIES IN THE BIBLE PART 9

I) BENEFITS OF READING AND OBEYING THE BIBLE

A) Gives us Long life, Deut. (6:2)B) Gives us strength to overcome sin (Eph. 6:17)C) Gives us comfort and encouragement during tough times (Ps. 34:19, Isa. 51:12, Ps. 23, Ps. 119)D) Gives us guidance and leads

us to the right way/path or decision, (Hosea 14:6, Ps. 119:101)

E) Reminds us to stay pure, holy, and separated from the world (Lev. 19:2, I John 2:15)

F) Exposes our innermost thoughts ( James 1:23-25, Rom. 1:16, Jer. 17:9, Acts 2:37)G) Protects us from danger (Prov. 2: 7,8)H) Increases our faith (Rom.10:17)I) Encourages us to amend our sinful ways (II Chron. 7:14)J) Warns us: Words like “Take heed,” or “beware” : (I Cor. 10:2, Deut. 8:11)K) Gives us joy and peace ( Ps. 119: 50-52)

L) Hope (Luke 10:22)M) The mind of God becomes

our mind ( Phil 2:4,5)N) Keeps us from being proud

or keeps us humble. One sign that a Christian is not reading the Bible is he becomes proud (Deut. 17:20)

O) For our prayers to be answered (John 15:7)

P) Blessings, success, prosperity (James 1:22, Joshua 1:8, Deut. 28)

Q) Teaches us: 1) Prepares and equips believers (2 Tim. 3:17) 2) To fear God (Ps. 111:17, Deut. 17:19) 3) Wisdom and understanding (Prov. 2:6) 4) Discernment (Ezek. 44:23, Ecc. 8:5) 5) To be blameless (John 17:17) 6) How we should behave, to be perfect like Christ (I Tim. 3:15, Eph. 4:12,13)

II) WHY SHOULD WE STUDY THE BIBLE?A) Genuine Christians have a deep hunger for God’s Word ( Ps. 42:1,2; I Cor. 2:14)B) Genuine Christians make the Bible their priority What do you enjoy more than reading the Bible? It should be our favorite activity (Deut. 6:5)C) Genuine Christians are victorious over sin and to be determined and disciplined (I John 4:4)D) Genuine Christians enjoy and do not endure their Bible reading (Ps. 19: 11)

III) HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLEA) Set aside at least 15-30 minutes a day in a place or spot where you are least distracted. It can be early in the morning, your lunch break, etc. (Psalm 63:1)It’s true that maintaining a regular Bible reading habit will take some discipline. But remember that a habit is only a means to an end. Your higher goal is to transform your Bible reading and prayer habit into a meeting with God. Think of it as an appointment with God.

If you do, reading and prayer will become less of a discipline and more of a dialog with God.B) Don’t Feel GuiltyHave you ever heard someone say, “I’m having trouble keeping a regular quiet time with God? I know I ought to but ...”? Maybe you’ve felt that way. As we’ve already acknowledged, maintaining a “spiritual discipline” like Bible reading can be a challenge. Even so, we should be careful not to think of it as “paying our dues to God” or assume that God is

waiting to “zap” us if we fail to read the Bible for a period of time. The important thing to remember is God loves you and He wants to meet with you (John 4:23-24)! Don’t let guilt over what you haven’t done in the past rob you of the joy of meeting with God in the present. With whatever time you do have, focus on enjoying God’s Word today. If you do that, you’ll soon find yourself feeling less guilty and more excited about meeting God every day.

C. Find a Plan that Works for You. Determine how many chapters you can read each day. There are many plans that you can download.D) Be Creative and Add VarietyWe all go through times when our walk with God seems lifeless and dry. You can vary the sequence of what you do or sing a song sometimes or recite a poem

E) Another helpful technique is to keep a journal of your reflections. You do not have to write something everyday, only when a passage really stands out. You can use a commentary and read a Christian book sometimes.

F) Give the Distraction to God. There will be a lot of distractions like unexpected phone calls,

Family interruptions and pet emergencies. But the biggest distractions are our own fears, frustrations, temptations and worries and concerns. What you can do is pray for the person who just called or ask God to let the baby sleep so that you can have your quiet time. Or when worries and concerns distract you, why don’t you just pray for these distractions. These may be the very things God want you to pray about.