NEC 2015 Camp Meeting: Strong Families, Strong Churches

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NEC Youth

Sebastien Braxton

How to Study the Bible- Part 1

So this morning our seminar is about how to study the Bible.

And I'm actually in the process of writing a book on this.

And so what I'll be doing throughout the camp meeting, if you're interested in finding out when that book will be launched, it's going to be probably an e-book, not a physical book.

I'm trying to be green, you know, save the environment, save some trees, and also be a blessing to whoever I can.

But yeah, I'll have a little sign-up thing on my iPad just to get your name and email address and then I can let you know.

I'm going to be doing an entire series called The Whole Man.

And I want to basically publish a series of books, just so you know, this is like completely cutting edge stuff, like I haven't told anyone this.

Can't tell the adults who knows what might happen.

But yeah, I'm going to do a whole series called The Whole Man and the first book I want to write is about how to study the Bible.

And a lot of it is something that I've picked up over the years just through my own personal experience, as well as my own kind of drawing from other people and the things that they've shared with me, things that I've appreciated about the way other people have taught the Bible or what I've noticed, how people break things down in particular books.

And so trying to distill that and make that accessible to all of us is my aim and goal.

But the simplicity of what I'm trying to do is to allow us to get more out of the Bible.

So how to study the Bible is not so much about the mechanics.

It turns it into like a scientific experiment.

And I feel like I'm back in high school again in chemistry class And it's like you have to follow these steps and you have to analyze this and if you don't own all these books Maps of the Bible atlases Bible names dictionary of Bible biblical imagery.

You just can't really get into the text and I'm like I Feel like this is school this is academic it's clinical But an experience with God really can't be formalized.

And it's interesting that in the Bible, it doesn't tell us what Jesus' devotional life was like.

Only 1 time they walk in while he's praying, but we don't get that prayer.

So I would imagine that maybe when Jesus was learning the Bible while he was a carpenter in Galilee, perhaps if people noticed how Jesus was studying, because the Pharisees were shocked at 12 of how intelligent and knowledgeable about the Bible that he was.

That tells you something, that Jesus took the Bible seriously And when he was tempted in the wilderness, he didn't say, oh, command these stones be made bread.

He pulled out his New Jerusalem version and was like, it says here in Deuteronomy.

No, he was quoting the Bible from his mind.

So Jesus not only understood the Bible, he was memorizing the Bible.

So clearly, Jesus took the word of God seriously, not just to study to understand it, but to hide it in his heart.

So let me start with a quote that a Christian author wrote to some young people back in the 1800s.

Pray for His forgiveness for neglecting His holy word so long and then beg of the Lord to give you love and interest in His word.

When I lose my love for the Bible, I am alarmed.

I know that I do not love Jesus if I do not love to search the book that testifies of Him.

We have to recognize that loving to study the Bible or Studying the Bible is something that is difficult.

If you really think about it, if it was easy, there wouldn't be a need for seminars about how to study the Bible.

If you want to pack a seminar, do it about relationships.

Because if it wasn't difficult, why would people come to these seminars?

But I want you to notice that if this thing is difficult, what is it that makes it difficult?

The author says it may be difficult for you and I to love to study the Bible at once.

So the initial difficulty is the fact that you and I are impatient.

We want to love to study the Bible today.

We want to crack the Bible this morning, be excited every single day for the rest of our lives.

It's not going to happen, especially if you and I have not been in the habit of studying it.

But the author says God has promised divine help.

So even though it may be difficult for us to love to study the Bible at once, the author says, but God will help you.

Somebody should say amen, that's good news.

Listen, when you want to study the Bible, you're thinking, Lord, I'm not having devotions, I'm not in my word.

The blessing is that we're depending many times on our own strength, but all along God says I will help you I'm not just leaving you to your own devices and so as you go, I know that in your nature it is not natural for you to love to study the Bible And even if you are a Christian, it is not natural for you to love to study the Bible.

And that is a hard reality for us to accept, even as preachers and ministers.

I'm not gonna stand up here and tell you like, I'm having amazing devotions, going to the third heavens every morning.

The reality is, even we as pastors and preachers and leaders and People who you think are so spiritually powerful.

We also have to grapple with this same thing Because the study the Bible takes spiritual discipline But the blessing is We don't have to fake it till we make it God can help us The next recommendation of the author is that we need to pray.

When was the last time you prayed that God would give you love and interest in the Bible?

You know, it almost sounds like a desperate prayer.

You'd have to have been bored with the Bible for so long.

And finally you get to a point, you say, Lord, look, I'm just gonna be honest, God, I don't even want to study the Bible.

I'm just going through this because everyone in my community says this is what a good Christian does.

So I'm gonna read my Bible in the morning, but I'm not getting anything meaningful out of it.

But loving to study the Bible really starts with reconciliation with God.

It starts with prayer and asking for his forgiveness.

And why should we ask for his forgiveness?

Because the author says, when I lose my love for the Bible, I am alarmed Because I know I do not love Jesus if I don't love to study the book that testifies of him.

You know, many people like to come to church or even not come to church and say, Oh, you know, God knows my heart.

And when we sit down and realize that this is not just a regular Christian author, that this is Ellen White who has seen Jesus in vision, she says, when I lose my love for the Bible, that means she has lost her love for the Bible.

She's seen the things that we're reading in the Bible.

And as she's up in vision and seeing these things, this does not change her love and interest in the Bible.

Sometimes she loses it and she says to herself when I lose my love for the Bible not when I lose my love for praise and worship Not when I lose my love for evangelism Not when I lose she says when I lose my love for the Bible.

I Know it So a very simple way to gauge in our relationship with God is to say look do I love to study the book that testifies?

Of Jesus You can't come and be like I love chemistry, but you refuse to pick up a chemistry book Would you believe them?

I wouldn't believe them You'd be sitting there thinking to yourself.

You don't even own a chemistry book You avoid all chemistry classes You don't even want to talk when we bring up the subject of chemistry you want to change the subject you become disinterested But I love chemistry Why do we think it's any different when it comes to the word of God in Jesus?

Think about it some young person comes after the seminar, man, you guys, we should just have a Bible study right now.

Oh, no, man, no, no, we could do that later.

Then they come back to your chalet and It's always awkward for that 1 person that wants to have worship or pray together before you go to sleep at night.

How to Study the Bible- Part 1

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