Why it is Vital to the Survival of Christians to Study God's Word in Depth
- His Servant - Rob McKee
- Feb 29, 2024
- 15 min read
Ever had someone deceive you? I think that everyone has at some time, if not several, right? Do you know what I find interesting about deception? A person can be deceived in many different ways, by many different things, and by many different people, about many different things, but the Truth is always singular and simple. There is only one Truth, only one Reality. On the other hand, there can be a seemingly infinite number of lies concerning any Truth.
I call these decoys. Lies always send us in the opposite direction of Truth. Imagine that you are hunting for a treasure. You have a map, but you are not great at reading them. As a matter of fact, the map that you have has a bunch of symbols representing landmark’s etc. Because you do not want to take the time to study symbols, you find yourself relying on the expertise of others to help you decipher the hidden location of the treasure. So what’s the problem? Some of the people that you are trusting toi help are not really all that good at reading maps themselves. Others have no true interest in you ever finding the treasure, because they want it for themselves. Perhaps some even want the one thing that you already have and possibly take for granted - your life! With all of the decoy details that these people provide to you: “turn here”, “don’t turn there!”, do you really think that you will ever find this treasure? The answer is simple… IF God is in it, you will!
Let’s say that God is in the arrangement, and He also wants you to find the treasure. How do you suppose He will show you where to look? He will show you through His Word-
We are actually instructed to continue in God’s Word.
John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom HE hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
You see, God sent His Word to us in these last times in the flesh of man. Jesus Christ is The Word of God. If God were to help you in any way these days, it would be through and by His Word. As a matter of fact, we are saved by knowledge that is found within God’s Word.
Luke 1:76-79 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
2 Peter 1:2-3 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue
-And, we are also instructed to seek God continually:
1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and His strength, seek His face continually.
Did you know that God and His Word are one in the same?
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
Yes, we must seek God for Truth and to lead us to a place of salvation. Beware though, this is not a journey for the faint of heart! Being Born Again is a progressive work that God performs in us through and by our endless pursuit of His righteousness. Where do we find His righteousness? By keeping His Word. How important is it to find His kingdom and righteousness? Well, He tells us to seek these things before we do anything else!
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
How do we do this? We not only read God’s Word, but we study it…
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
So, what happens if we fail to do these things? Deception. We find ourselves lost in sin, never to recover.
James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Proverbs 13:13-16 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. 14The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. 15Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard. 16Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.
Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
It’s true: when we seek God with all of our heart, we will find Him.
Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
As we continue to study God’s Word, we will find that it is really an instruction booklet, instructing us in the ways of true life. It is important that we read all of it, and again - not merely read though it once, but study it! Do what He instructs!
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Remember, if we do not do this, we will end up deceived. If we are deceived, we will never arrive at our intended destination, Heaven. This is our responsibility and no one else’s. Do not let others convince you that Jesus did it all on Calvary and that there is nothing for you to do at all. This is a lie! The scripture clearly instructs us otherwise. Not only this, God’s Word even tells us to consume it. Jesus (God’s Word, made flesh) said:
John 6:53-56 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Jesus did not stop here. He told us that His blood represents that New Testament Covenant and that we should “drink ye all of it”...
Matthew 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Again - there is only one Truth!
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Yes, the only way to get to Heaven is through God’s Word. This is serious business. We are responsible for ourselves here. Don’t waste time, we may not have much left! Jesus is the sacrifice that God provided for us, that we might thereby be saved. He is our Passover, by the Grace of God, that we might have space to complete His work in us. Do you realize that God instructed His people to not only eat all of the sacrifice of The Passover, but to eat it quickly? They had to consume all of it before the next day.
Exodus 12:11-12 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover.
Let’s move forward…
Galatians 6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
You know, the problem that plagues the lives of many people is that they always want to cut corners and take the easy way out. I’m afraid - actually I know that this will simply not work here. Proof? When Eve was deceived, who paid for it? She did, didn;t she. She tried to make excuses, didn’t she? She told the truth though; she was in fact deceived. Did this help her cause? Nope. Why? She was deceived because she did not follow God’s instructions.
Genesis 3:9-15 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And He said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Notice, that not only did Eve suffer her for her disobedience, but she plunged all mankind into sin. That’s how deception and sin works. Our sin brings harm to the people around us. Love, on the other hand, can bring life and peace to the lives of those around us.
Hebrews 12:14-15 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled
1 Peter 4:7-8 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Both Eve and Adam tried to make excuses, but God still held them accountable. Sound familiar? Remember this?
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but He that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
You see, deception happens when we fail to believe, trust, and obey God’s Word. So, what happens if someone were to say, “I didn’t know”?
Hosea 4:6-9 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. 7As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. 8 They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. 9And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.
Acts 17:24-31 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: 28 For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.
It is our responsibility to know right from wrong. It is our responsibility to not allow ourselves to be deceived.
Proverbs 14:15 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
3 John 1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but He that doeth evil hath not seen God.
Romans 10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
So, if we say that we are a “Christian”, then we are admitting that we have made contact with God through Our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. If so, we should then continue in His Word, as instructed. This is because it is even more dangerous for us to not know the scriptures and obey.
Luke 12:45-48 But and if that servant say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The Lord of that servant will come in a day when He looketh not for Him, and at an hour when He is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant, which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But He that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. 19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
Now is no the time to cut corners. Not is not the time for laziness. This is your life that we are talking about. There will be no acceptable excuse for us if we neglect to seek God.
Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him
We cannot play the blame game. We cannot make excuses. We cannot offer diversions. What about death-bed repentance? Get over it! If you really want to allow yourself to be deceived by this, there may be no hope for you! This is the only example in the bible that people try to use to say that they can delay in doing right in the sight of God. It is just another excuse to be lazy, cut corners, or live it up in sin.
As I said, this is the only example. Jesus did say that the thief would be with Him that day in paradise. The bible does not tell us much more about the thief, other than this account. What some may have missed is that this man called Jesus Lord, as if He already knew who He was, personally. He even said “this man hath done nothing amiss.” (Luke 23:41) How many criminals commit crimes and then run free for long lengths of time before being captured? Do you realize that Jesus was preaching throughout all the land for approximately 3 ½ years? What if this man heard Jesus preaching, believed, repented, and began living according to God’s Word prior to being captured? This would not change that He had broken man’s law, or that they would still hold him accountable for the theft that He was guilty of.
Salvation through Christ takes time. We have to hear God’s Word and apply it to our lives:
Revelation 7:13-14 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14And I said unto Him, Sir, thou knowest. And He said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but He that endureth to the end shall be saved.
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
In conclusion: through studying the scripture we learn that it is imperative that we continue studying and that we also continue seeking God for His Grace, and His Mercy to help us to overcome this world. What are the things that we must overcome?
1 John 2:15-18 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Jeremiah 9:4-5 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. 5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Romans 3:3-4 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 4God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
Deuteronomy 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them
Proverbs 2:1-22 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. 18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. 19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
Ephesians 6:23-24 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
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