How To Study Your Bible-part3-Differences
2 Timothy 2:15—“…rightly dividing the word of truth.”
TOP TEN SIGNS YOU MAY NOT BE STUDYING YOUR BIBLE ENOUGH:
10) The Preacher announces the sermon is from Galatians … and you check the table of contents.
9) You think Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob had a hit song during the 1960’s.
8) You get frustrated when you can’t find Charlton Heston listed in the Concordance.
7) Your favorite Old Testament patriarch is Hercules.
6) You didn’t realize you left your Bible on the pew last Sunday until you were leaving for church this Sunday.
5) You believe “cleanliness is next to godliness” is actually a verse in the Bible.
4) You see your kids reading the Song of Solomon and demand: “Who gave you this stuff?”
3) You think the Minor Prophets worked in rock quarries.
2) You keep falling for it when the Pastor says to turn to the book of Hezekiah.
And the number one sign you may not be reading your Bible enough:
1) The kids keep asking too many questions about your usual bedtime story: “Jonah the Shepherd Boy and His Ark of Many Colors.”
The Bible is like a blue print. A blue print is a plan for building (site plan; foundation; plumbing; electrical, etc.). The Bible lays out God’s “building plan” for the ages. What I am seeking to do in these message is teach you how to read God’s blue print.
Bible study involves “rightly dividing the word of truth.” “Rightly dividing” comes from a word meaning “to cut straight.” Paul was a tentmaker. A tentmaker must cut straight lines in the fabric, otherwise the pieces would not fit together when sewn.
DIVISION IS NEGATIVE—That’s why many Christians don’t like studying dispensational truth. Division is contrary to the philosophy of this world. The world says “unite” (make everything the same; break down boun- dries). God says “divide.” We are not to integrate anything. We are to divide, not blend.
When you divide something you MAKE A DIFFERENCE. When Jesus comes again, He will divide the sheep from the goats (Mt. 25:32)—He will make a difference. When we study our Bible we look for things that are different (example: Rev. 6:2 cf. 19:11-16—horse riders are similar, but not the same). We must make a distinction where God makes a difference (cf. Ex. 11:7; Lev. 10:10).
A failure to distinguish between things that are different leads to confusion (cf. Lev. 18:23; 20:12; Acts 19:32; 1 Cor. 14:7, 33).
PARTIAL sermon: See PDF for full sermon
