How to Get the Most from God's Word

Selected Scriptures

     I want you to open your Bible as we discuss this matter of how to get the most out of God's Word and turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 15.  I apologize in some ways because normally on a Sunday morning and evening we take a passage of scripture and we work through that passage in an expository fashion, but this is a very special series, not so much like preaching and more like a classroom, as we're talking about principles of Bible study.  By virtue of the subject we are forced to deal with some technical things and some things that are not necessarily related to a text of Scripture, but are so essential and so foundational that they will prepare you to study all the passages of Scripture.  So if you'll indulge me a little bit to be the teacher rather than the preacher today and give you a lesson on Bible study, you'll be well served and so will I.

     In 2 Timothy 2:15 we have just a starting point biblically that gives us the mandate for this necessity of Bible study.  It says, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth." 

     Not to handle the word of truth is to bring shame upon yourself.  When you're dealing with the word you're dealing with the word of the living God.  When you're dealing with God you're dealing with one who is true and in whom there is no untruth...God who cannot lie has spoken.  In the Bible God has spoken. He has spoken so as to be understood.  It is incumbent upon us that we rightly divide the truth, that we handle accurately the word that God has spoken. 

     Nothing is more disconcerting to me, nothing is more distressing or disturbing to me than mishandling of Scripture.  In fact that's somewhat of a passion for me.  I grieve in my heart when I hear the Word of God being mishandled, misrepresented, passages being used to teach things they don't teach, scripture being used to teach doctrine it does not teach.  Misrepresenting the Word of God is serious, it is a serious sin of the caliber of inept, unbiblical worship.  None of us would want to be guilty of worshiping God in a manner that is unsuited to Him.  God wants to be worshiped and He wants to be worshiped in spirit and in truth.  God wants to be worshiped from the heart.  He wants to be worshiped for the God who He is.  He wants to be rightly understood.  He wants to be exalted for His attributes as they are.  And we want to worship the true God as He is in the way that He has called us to worship in the Scripture.  And we don't want to tamper with worshiping God in a triv