The Objectives :The two main objectives of this study are to teach disciples how to have effective, daily Bible studies and teach them to use basic Bible tools (concordances, etc.)

Having gone through the Word study, you should have a sufficient understanding for how important God’s word is. The following study delves a little further into the importance of personal Bible study.

The Scriptures:

Luke 4:1-13
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,
2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here.
10 For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
12 Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

It was the “habit” of Christ to overcome temptation by knowledge of the Scriptures. He knew them so well; he was even able to see where Satan was misusing them! (v.10-12; 2 Peter 3:15-16)

Satan’s temptations and deceptions will be something we battle day-in and day-out, overcoming them means building the Christ-like habit of answering the temptations with the Word of God.

Q: What kinds of temptations does Satan bait you with? How can Scripture help you overcome?

Psalm 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

The Bible does not actually say that we should have a “Quiet Time” everyday…it actually goes much further! The blessed man is the one who meditates on God’s word day and night (not just for 30 minutes in the morning)!

Q: What is the difference between “meditation” and “just reading”?

Q: How has meditation on the Word led you to “prosperity” in your life (v.3)?

Psalm 119—The longest chapter of the Bible extols the benefits and virtues of God’s Word.

• Keeping a pure and upright life comes from hiding God’s word in your heart (v. 9– 10)
  • Jesus teaches us that man’s heart is a source of sinfulness (Mark 7); our hearts are changed by the work of the Holy Spirit and by “hiding God’s word in our hearts” we can take preventive measures to keep us from sinning
  • We should not delay to obey God’s commands (v. 59-60)
    • Bible study is rendered worthless if we do not put what we learn/know into practice (James 1:22-25)
  
  Q: What are some reasons why you might “delay” to obey God’s commands?
  
  Acts 8:26-29
  26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
  27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
  28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
  29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
  
  The Ethiopian Eunuch was a busy, important man who found the time to study God’s word. (Elaborate more on the desire to learn and the heart of the Ethiopian Eunuch)
  
  PRACTICAL BIBLE STUDY TIPS:
  • Decide in advance what you want to study.
    • Suggestions:
      • Study one book of the Bible (read, outline, study)
      • Study a section of a book (i.e. Sermon on the Mount, Last Supper, etc…).
      • Study one topic (i.e. Grace, faith, impurity, etc. / Use concordance).
      • Study the life of one character (Abraham, Moses, David, Ruth, etc…).
      • Study out a sermon you’ve heard, be a Berean (Acts 17: 11).
      • Ask a question you don’t know the answer to and dig for an answer.
  • Read out loud
  • Read different translations
  • Use a notebook to write down thoughts and questions about your Bible study.
  • Share what you are learning with others.
  
  
  The Spiritual Exercise: Have a Bible study together. Learn to use a concordance and any study tools that will complement your Bible study.