Preaching Daily - July 23

Today's Reading...

One fundamental reason for a follower of Jesus to study the Bible is that Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, studied the Bible. Jesus’ education, like that of other Jewish boys growing up in first-century Israel, included memorization of the Scriptures-especially the Written Torah. What Christians refer to as the ”Old Testament” was the first ”Bible” of the early church, and it formed the context in which Jesus was recognized as fulfilling the Scriptures. For Jesus and many of the first Jewish Christians, Scripture study was a priority woven into daily life. For most Christians living in the first century of the third millennium, however, Bible study is a deliberate, counter-cultural choice requiring good reasons for the necessary investment of time, energy, and resources. Study of a key series of events in Jesus’ earthly life, as recorded in Luke 4, brings to light at least five good reasons for studying the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) in our day.

1. Truth is your weapon against the Devil’s lies. Immediately after Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit led Him to fast for 40 days in the wilderness, where the Devil tempted Him when ”He was hungry” (vv. 1-3). Jesus answered each temptation with scriptural truth (v. 4 – Deuteronomy 8:3; v. 8 – Deuteronomy 6:13; vv. 10-12 – Deuteronomy 6:16 and Psalm 91:11-12 correctly memorized). Even the most mature Christian is vulnerable to temptation because the Devil is a ruthless enemy intent on poisoning, perverting, ruining, and undermining everything good and every testimony to God’s goodness. The primary battleground is the mind. Studying (and memorizing) Scripture fortifies your mind with truth that can effectively identify, refuse, and destroy Satan’s weaponry-both subtle and blatant lies aimed at areas of both weakness and strength (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:12).

2. Scripture portrays your true identity. At least twice, Satan questioned Jesus’ identity (vv. 3, 9). Jesus knew He was the Son of God (see Luke 3:22), and so did the Devil, suggesting that Jesus therefore had the right to change stones into bread to satisfy His hunger (4:3) and to force God’s hand (vv. 10-11). Knowing the Scriptures, Jesus recognized not only that Satan was misquoting them but also that His identity was bound up in what Scripture revealed about Him (e.g., Isaiah 53; also see John 6:30-58).

To read the full article, "Five Reasons to Study the Bible" by Tamra Hernandez, click here.

Today’s Pastoral Resource...

Playback Media

Utilizing media in our services helps make a big impact on people's lives. Finding the right sermon slide, countdown, or motion background can be difficult sometimes. Playback Media exists to take that pressure away and provide you with church media that you can trust. They can also customize any media specifically for your church. Try them out free for one month.