The NARROW
GATE- a
The way of Yeshua
LESSON ONE - The Power of Gods
Word
One
of the best ways to judge the quality of a product is to examine the item
itself. So now you get a chance to examine the Bible more closely and see if it
is a reliable book. Why
study the Bible? Psalm 19:7-13
tells us what the value of Gods word is and how we must treasure it. The principles revealed in the
Scriptures are to be brought home to the soul. We are to bring its truths into
our daily lives, grasping the mysteries of godliness.
Just
a few things before you begin studying for you to study and reflect on. Always
pray before you study the word of God, asking for His wisdom and insight and
that He will teach and show you the things that He wants you to see, that He
will remove the distractions (they will come) and help you to focus on His word.
Also think and reflect on the scriptures, ask yourself questions, make it
personal. We
hope your faith and love of God will increase with each lesson.
Always
read the Scripture Reading that heads each lesson. Also be sure to look up all Bible
references that are not quoted, for they throw additional light on the
subject.
Men's bursts of assumption come and go like lightning, while
the Book we call the Bible has through the centuries: defied every
threat, outsold every bestseller, and proved itself
eternal.
If the Bible is divinely inspired as it claims to be, no wonder
history has followed its predictions like a blueprint. However, much depends on
the spirit, the motives, and the attitudes that are brought to the study of the
Bible. If we approach it like some sort of encyclopedia of religious
information, or a collection of interesting facts, it won't do much for us.
That's only playing games with the Bible. Enjoy the study
Sincerely,
Nevil and Janet Butler, Pastors of the Narrow Gate
LESSON
ONE
SCRIPTURE READING: PSALM 119:9-16,
105-112
(Write your answers directly onto the dotted
lines)
In a test of high school students, eight out of nine could
not name three prophets of the Old Testament, and ten out of eighteen could not
name three of Christ's disciples. In one elementary school, 351 out of 1,373 had
never heard of the Ten Commandments, and in one university, 7 percent of the
Students could not name a single book of the Old Testament. Although
some of the great principles of the Bible are commonly known, for they
underlie our whole social structure, ignorance about this Book and the truths it
teaches is appalling. This lesson leads us into a preliminary exploration of our
textbook. Then as you study the lessons that follow, each will unfold more
challenging secrets of the Word of God.
WHAT THE SCRIPTURES ARE
1.
What three basic divisions comprised the Scriptures in Christ's day?
Luke 24:44, 45
1)
.
..2)
..
. 3)
..
The
39 books of the Old Testament were written before the birth of Christ, and the
27 books of the New Testament were written after His birth. These two Testaments
make up our Bible, and although written over a 1600-year period by a variety of
writers, it shows unusual unity and harmony. The Old Testament predicts any
things which we can understand fully only by studying the New Testament. And the
New Testament constantly quotes from and refers to the Old Testament. Someone
has said: "The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New
Testament is the Old Testament revealed."
2. What part of the
New Testament was already recognized as Scripture in Peter's day?
Read 2 Peter 3:15, 16
.
HOW THE SCRIPTURES WERE GIVEN
3.
Although men did the writing, who was responsible
for the inspiration and content of the Scriptures?
Read 2 Timothy
4. How much
of the Bible is inspired?
Read 2
Timothy
Not just some, but all! What an
assurance!
5. Through whom did God convey His messages to
chosen men
of God?
Read 2
Peter
The
Bible authors wrote that which the Holy Spirit impressed on their minds. We
might say that it was God's thought passed along to us through human agents.
David put it this way: "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue" (2 Samuel
23:2)
WHY THE SCRIPTURES WERE
GIVEN
6. What four reasons does Paul give for studying the
Bible?
Read
2 Timothy 3: 1)
..
2)
..
3)
.
.
4)
.
Doctrine
- "Doctrine" means "teaching," "guide," "rule,"
Reproof - The
Scriptures will often tell us, "Thou art the man" 2 Samuel
12:7
Correction - Thank God, the Scriptures not only reprove, but tell us
the correct way and lead us to the power that is able to keep us from
sinning.
"The
word of God is quick, and powerful." (Hebrews 4:12)
"Thy word
have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." (Psalm
119:11)
Two young men started out one day to stage a holdup. Suddenly one of them stopped. Like
letters of fire there flashed on his conscience the words, "Thou shalt not steal." He refused to go farther. The words of God
saved him from beginning a life of crime. Jesus knew the Scriptures and used
them to withstand the temptations of Satan. Matthew 4:4, 7,
10
Instruction and Learning - One verse of Scripture is worth a whole
book of man's words.
"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth
understanding unto the simple" (Psalm 119:130)
"What is the chaff to
the wheat? saith the Lord"
(Jeremiah
Why
take less?
7. When Paul was writing to the Roman believers, what
other benefits did he mention that one receives from the study of the Bible?
Romans
15:4 -
..
It happened in the mountains of the west. A
man and his nephew had lost their way. Since they were strangers and
had considerable money, they were somewhat fearful with the coming of
night. They stopped at a crude cabin where they were given a place to sleep. As
they prepared for bed, they heard low mumbling words in the adjoining room, then
the sound of chairs being moved, followed by more low mumbling words. Could some plot be on foot to rob and
kill them? The nephew crept to the door and peered through the keyhole. Quickly
stepping back, he said, "Everything is all right. They are
praying."
8. What is the real goal of all Bible
study?
John
have
eternal life: and they are they which TESTIFY of ME"
2
Peter 1:19 "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye
do well that ye take heed, as unto a LIGHT that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the
MORNING STAR arise in your hearts."
John 17:3 "And this is life.
ETERNAL, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent." John 14:7 "If ye had known ME ye should have known my FATHER
also."
The Day Star which Peter mentioned (2 Peter
9. Where is the source of
truth?
John
John 14:6
.
..
Jesus is truth, and His Word is truth. There is
no contradiction between them. We can't separate Jesus from His Word, the Bible,
and we can't separate the written Word from Jesus, the Living Word, We find
saving truth about Jesus in the Scriptures. In fact, the apostle John emphasizes
this in the very first chapter of his gospel: "The Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John
So
if we want to know what God is like, or what God's law and His government are
like, we can look at Jesus. And we find the life of Jesus revealed in the Word
of God. No wonder John called Jesus the Word!
10. By
what name did John the Revelator call Christ when he was
describing the second
coming?
Revelation
HOW WE CAN SIFT TRUTH FROM
ERROR
11. What did the Bereans
do to check whether Paul was teaching them
truth?
Acts
This
is a good example for us to follow. When Paul preached to them, these people
brought his teaching to the test of the Scriptures. They checked everything he
told them by the Word of God. The gospel commission involves the teaching of
God's truth by every believer Romans 10:14, 15, but we are warned against false
teachers and given a standard by which we may judge the teaching of every man.
In the same way the Bereans did, we need to keep
searching the Bible for ourselves so that we may be able to test every religious
teaching by the great standard of God's inspired Word. If it does not harmonize
fully with the Bible, we may know it is false teaching. But when we find
that it agrees with what is taught in the Word, and then we should accept it and
follow it.
12. If we would be sure of being able to distinguish truth
from error, what attitude did Jesus tell us to have when we study the
Scriptures?
John
What an assurance! If we are willing to
obey, Jesus promises that we will recognize truth. We may not know all of His
will right now. We may not even understand today what our Lord may ask of us
tomorrow, but whatever it may be, we are to be willing to accept and obey it. If
that is our attitude, Jesus assures us that He will direct us into all truth as
we compare scripture with scripture.
13. What is promised
those who follow what they learn as they study God's
Word?
Luke
To help us sort out truth from error, to
help us discover the matchless charms of Jesus, the Son of God, who left all
heaven to come down and reveal God's love for us, to help us apply the
Scriptures to our own lives, Jesus has not only pronounced a special blessing,
but has also promised us the special help of His Holy Spirit.
14.
How will the Holy Spirit help us as we study God's Word?
John
15.
How may we receive the help of the Holy Spirit as we study
the Bible?
..
Luke 11:1 Lord, teach
us to PRAY"
Here
is the secret! Opening your heart to God in prayer before studying HIS Word will
aid you in a correct understanding and assure you of God's presence by His
Spirit. Old gems of truth will shine with a new luster and the discovery of new
truth will strengthen your faith and enlarge your understanding of God. Best of all, Jesus will become a Living
Presence in your life.
AN
INTERESTING STORY
A
number of years ago a wealthy Englishman grew sick and died. When the day came for the reading of his
will and the distribution of the fortune that he had left, his favorite daughter
was bitterly disappointed. The father had designated in the will that she was to
receive "My Bible and all that it contains." Knowing that her father was an
ardent student of the Bible and that this Book was near and dear to his heart,
she hid it away in an old trunk and went on living as before. As time passed, adversity seemed to dog
her steps. Ill health and difficulty reduced her to poverty. Broken in health
and spirit, in desperation she sought a solution to her problems. After trying
every other means available to her, she turned to her father's Bible seeking the
answer to her difficulties. Imagine her surprise as she leafed through that
long-forgotten Book to find that between many of the pages of the Bible her
father had secreted large Bank of England notes. She had been wealthy all the
time and had been unaware of her good fortune because she had failed to realize
what her father had meant when he had given her "My Bible and all that it
contains."
Our
heavenly Father has left us a great treasure in the pages of this wonderful
Book. We may not be able to find bank notes between the pages of the Bible, but
we can find peace, joy, hope, faith and eternal life by studying the Book.
Priceless treasures! Forgotten riches! What greater treasure can a man
hope for? Many a millionaire would exchange his fortune for these
valuables. Will you take time to
discover these treasures?
END OF
LESSON ONE