Follow Jesus' Example in Studying the Bible — Zac Poonen

The Bible as God’s Inspired Word

I want to start with something very basic today. We, whenever we study or hear God's, hear a message, we base it always on the Bible and people take God's word and the Bible and read it and we automatically assume this is God's word.

I have a doubt in my mind whether all of you really believe this book which we call the Bible is God's inspired word and I have a doubt about that about many many believers whether they really believe deep down in their heart that from cover to cover these 66 books are the word of God.

Now I'll tell you why I say that because if you really believed that this book was the word of God first of all you would read it from cover to cover. If you believe there's only one book on earth written by the Lord by God you'd read it from cover to cover.

It's like if there was some very important document concerning your property or your finances or something like that where you could lose a lot of your money you would read it carefully from cover to cover anything that concerned you intensely but among all the believers I've met there are not many who have read the whole Bible from cover to cover or who continue to read and meditate on it.

I'm thankful that when I was born again that is 1959 -65 years ago nearly I believed God's word. I believe the Bible is God's word. I was taught to believe it and I assumed it at that at that stage I couldn't have any I couldn't prove it but I decided to first of all to read it from cover to cover even if I didn't understand most of it and in about six or seven months I finished the whole book and after that I began to study it in depth and in about six months in in-depth study way back when I was 26 years old I really came to know the scriptures.

I want you to be honest with yourself and ask yourself today do you really believe this book the Bible is God's word and if it is you respect it as God's word and I believe the fundamental problem with many Christians lies right here and if you don't believe that deep down in your heart you're not convinced about it you're sort of brainwashed by some preacher to tell you this is God's word go and try and claim some promise in it but you won't have the certainty that this is God and God can speak to you through it.

I can think of numerous instances in my life where I had specific guidance from God's word when it all began with knowing that this book is God's word. I believe the only way you can say that you believe it is God's word is that you've read through it.

I mean if you if you've been a believer for two years if you're born again at least two years ago you should have read through the Bible by now even if you didn't understand most of it and if you have not read through it I want to say to you in Jesus name that to me is the proof that you do not believe this book is God's word from cover to cover maybe some portions you say yes but don't really believe it and if you take that seriously and go to the Lord and say Lord I've just been taking this matter lightly but I want you to give show me is this really your word prove it to me in some way and if it is let me take it seriously to study this book more than any other book in the world people can't say they don't have time because there are many other things that you have time for many many other things and all it requires is a little cutting down of some other things in order to find time God for God's word that's all I can say is the reason why many people don't read God's word.

They have not made it a priority in their life. If you look at the life of Jesus you know we teach in the church that we must follow Jesus. And the verse I always quote to Christians and say one big difference between what we teach in CFC churches and all the other churches is based on one verse.

Walking as Jesus Walked

1 John chapter 2. Verse 6 1 John the first letter of John chapter 2. Verse 6 says anyone who says he abides in Christ. In other words anyone who claims to be a born-again Christian who says he's in Christ or Christ is in him should walk in the same way as Jesus walked.

He should live like Christ on this earth. Seek to order his life by the principles by which Jesus ordered his life. Anyone who says anyone who says that he isn't in Christ that means anyone who says I'm a born-again Christian now I want to ask you dear brothers and sisters is this true of you.

Are you seeking. Because most of Christendom I'll tell you honestly does not believe. It's possible. You read a verse like that must walk as Jesus walked. He said that's impossible. I've given a serious thought and I say it is possible.

That is different from 1 John 3 2. We must distinguish between the things that differ. 1 John 3 2 says we will be like him only when we see him when he comes. We're not asked to be like him. That will only happen when Christ comes again.

But until he comes right now we don't have to be like him. But we had to walk as he walked. What is the difference. Walking is a conscious action. We don't walk in our sleep. Please normal people don't walking.

Every step you take is a conscious action. And so to walk as Jesus walked refers to the conscious area of your life the area of your life where you know what you're doing. To use an example from the school life a child in the first grade will be examined only on the subjects he is studying in the first grade.

When he goes to the second grade he'll be examined on the subjects in the second grade. That's the picture of spiritual growth. In the beginning all the child learns is abc and adding two plus two etc.

But as he goes higher to higher classes he learns more. The Christian life is like that as well. The conscious area of our life is that area where we know right from wrong. And if that area is not growing then we are not growing spiritually.

We're stagnant. We're like a child stuck in the kindergarten for 20 years. So to walk as Jesus walked there should be a growing understanding of how he walked how he lived. My understanding of how Christ lived this year should be far better than what it was a year ago and much much better than what it was 20 years ago.

How did Jesus live and walk on the live his life on earth. And the only place where I can find that is in scripture. In one john 3 2 says when we come we'll be like him. So what is the difference between walking as he walked and being like him.

Being like him refers to our total personality all our inner parts of our life which we don't even know we can say our unconscious being. So if we could divide our life into two parts are the unconscious part of us where we don't know areas of our life where we have not got any light and the conscious area where we have light.

We are asked to walk as Jesus walked only in the areas where you are conscious of right and wrong and that will be different for each one of us depends on how much we have walked with the already it's like children and different classes in the school.

And if we are faithful in walking in the light in the area we have understanding that light will increase because it says in 1 john 1 6 if we walk in the light as God is in the light that means it basically means if you are honest honesty is the number one requirement for walking with the Lord.

Honest with ourselves that means I face up to the truth that I presently know about myself. If I know something is wrong I got to acknowledge I know that's wrong. It's got nothing to do with other people.

I'm walking in the light with the light God has given me. And basically it means I would read it like this. If you're honest with yourself you can have fellowship with God. But if you know something is right and you're not walking in that light you cannot have fellowship with God.

That's the meaning of 1 john 1 6 1 7. Rather if we walk in the light as God is in the light we have fellowship with one another. And only then only then verse 7 does the blood of Jesus cleanse us from all sin.

Now many people don't know that they they think they can just confess their sin and ask the Lord to forgive them. But there's a condition if we walk in the light as God is in the light the blood of Jesus and cleanse us.

What if we don't walk in the light we have. Can you still say the blood of Jesus cleanses us. Then you're negating 1 john 1 7. Then we are reading it like it doesn't matter whether you walk in the light or not.

If we ask the Lord to cleanse us he'll cleanse us. That's not true. If we walk there's a big if there. If i want to emphasize this brothers and sisters because i've been so disappointed when i see so many believers who don't seem to grow spiritually year after year even in our cfc churches i see them year after year.

I don't see much spiritual development in their life. I don't see. Do you you ask yourself. Do you find a greater sensitivity to sin in your life. For example have you discovered some things to be sin in your life today which i mean now.

Which you did not know was sin say three years ago. Or is your understanding of sin constant. It's been the same for the last 20 years. Certain things you know are wrong and you still know they're wrong.

There's nothing more. You're like a child who's stuck in first grade or something. He's never learned anything more. He's learned that two plus two is four and that's about it. Simple addition. But just like we expect our children to grow every year in understanding god wants us to walk in the light not stand still in the light.

Stand still in the light means i don't grow. The very word walk itself indicates the progression. I can't be walking say for even 15 minutes and be in the same place unless i'm just walking up and down.

So a person who says i've been walking with the lord for two or three years wow he should have got to know the lord so much better than he knew him three years ago. If you say you've been walking the lord for 10 years where should you be today compared to where you were.

Think of a straight road where you've been walking for 10 years. Unless you've been going up and down and up and down backwards and backsliding and going forward you should be way ahead. Unless we take ourselves seriously in these matters we're not going to progress in the christian life.

And we're going to have a lot of disappointment when christ comes again. I'm not talking about the reward or any such thing. I tell you honestly i don't care for rewards. I'm not working for reward. I'm not serving god for reward.

I'm not living to get a reward from heaven. I'm living only because i love jesus christ and i love him because he first loved me and gave himself for me. I owe my entire life to him. And that's why i live.

I i don't care if i get to heaven and i get a zero reward. I'm not interested in that. My only desire is to please the lord. And if i can get to heaven saying i pleased you it satisfies me. I don't i don't want any crown or any such thing in heaven.

Understanding Every Part of Scripture

But if we are stagnant we need to ask ourselves why. So if we believe that this bible is the word of god as i am absolutely convinced that there may be passages and there may be parts of this scripture that you don't understand why in the world god has put it there.

But i've come to find a reason for almost everything i found in the scripture. In some places there's a long list of names for example in the old testament just a big list of names and names. And names and names.

You wonder why in the world is not put that over there. I sought a lot about that. I say how does that bless me. And the answer i got was that god is interested. You know it's a list of all the people who left babylon for example and came to jerusalem after the captivity.

In the book of ezra actually just goes to show that god is interested in each individual who today has left the spiritual babylon and come out to a new testament church. It's not just a group. He's interested in each individual and each of those names he mentioned that's what i learned from there or other lists like that in chronicles etc.

So i find that there are some passages of scripture i still haven't understood fully the reason why it's there. I believe one day i'll understand as i grow. But it should be your passion that you get more and more what i call revelation in the word of god as we grow.

But that will be possible only if you are deeply convinced in your heart that this is the word of god is the only book in the whole world which is inspired and dictated by god not dictated but inspired by god for the writers to write down.

Jesus’ Childhood Study of Scripture

Now the when we say walk as jesus walked i say we got to begin where he began. So he began as a child. So let's turn to luke chapter two. Luke's gospel chapter two we read that jesus you know you know the story that he went with joseph and mary his parents earthly parents to the temple and when they didn't find him they came back after three days and discovered that he was in the temple.

Luke chapter 2 was 46. After three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of teachers listening and asking them questions. And all who heard him were first of all amazed at his understanding of god's word and his answers to their questions.

First of all they were amazed at his explanation of some old testament passages if they only had the old testament then and then they were amazed at the answers he gave when they asked some questions.

It's quite a verse luke 247. And he was only 12 years old and he did not come to earth with all the knowledge of the scriptures crammed in his head. No he was born just like any other baby with zero knowledge in his mind.

Just like all babies are born with zero knowledge in their mind they acquire knowledge from the day they are born by what they see and hear and respond to. And then later on what they read and as they talk to people exactly like any other baby grows up.

Jesus grew up and he became familiar with god's word just like we become familiar. And we have a big advantage that he didn't have. We have the written bible in our home many translations even whereas in those days no no home had a written copy of the bible in their home.

It was a luxury because the bible in those days i'm talking about 2 000 years ago was handwritten with pen and ink in parchment. Expensive. Not. There was no such thing as paper like this to write in.

There's parchment and it is written because that would be long lasting and that usually be one copy in a synagogue. And so there was a synagogue in nazareth as there was. We know we read later on in luke chapter 4 how when he went to the synagogue they opened the scroll and gave it to him.

You read in luke 4 verse 16 and 17 that's the synagogue where they had a scroll. So if you wanted to read the bible you had to go there to the synagogue and get the rabbi to read some passage to you. And i passed myself you know when i read the scripture the bible says we must meditate on what we read not just read it.

Meditate that means think about what you're reading. That's why if you want to absorb scripture you must not read too much at one time for meditation. I used to read the scriptures in two ways when i started reading it 65 years ago one was reading large sections so that i read through the whole bible in about seven months and the same.

Along with that i would also read i have two bible readings. The other was a small section of a few verses which i would meditate on. The other was continuous reading and then a short passage usually from the new testament that i would meditate on maybe 10 -15 minutes on four or five verses or longer if i had time sometimes one hour but just a small section.

So here if they the only way i see that jesus could have acquired the knowledge of scripture was that if he went from his home in his spare time remember he had to help him chores at home and he had four younger brothers and two younger sisters.

And so i'm sure he had to do a lot of work at home and go get water from the well and so many things that he had to do for his mother. And i don't know what age is joseph died. But even then he had to help in a lot in home.

But during his spare time he found some time every day. Now this is my imagination but i believe it's true to go to the synagogue walk there ask the rabbi to please open this the scriptures the scroll and to read something there from the 39 books of the old testament.

And the rabbi would read a certain section maybe they don't have verses those days but say a certain paragraph or something like that. And then jesus would say i'm imagining now he's a young boy five seven years old perhaps saying rabbi please stop and i want to think about that.

Can you read those seven verses again within their verses what can you read that paragraph again. He read it and he said thank you rabbi. I'll come back tomorrow. He goes home and meditates on what he read what he heard and he comes back.

The rabbi was delighted that a seven eight year old kid is so interested in the bible. And that's how jesus would have gone every day and heard a little more meditator and heard a little more meditator on it.

And that's how he acquired knowledge of scripture just like we read the scriptures today. If he hadn't done that it was not put into his head by god automatically. But when i say i want to walk as jesus walked i say this is where i begin.

I don't want to begin from where jesus was when he's 30 years old that's after a long long time. I can't suddenly jump to what he was in 30. When you read the gospels and you see how jesus spoke and did so many things.

That's when he was 30 so don't jump into that. I mean you can't jump into the 10th grade. As soon as you join school you got to go to the kindergarten. And so when i think of the following jesus in the kindergarten i see it here to go and read today.

Of course we don't have to go to rabbi. We got it at home so much easier to read something meditate on it think about it and ask god to speak to me. That's how jesus did every single day. And the result was i don't know at what age he started with it when he was six perhaps or five.

I don't know maybe. But if it is from five to the age of 12 and seven years he really got to know the scriptures. Imagine a five-year-old boy going and asking the rabbi to read something to him. I should put all of us to shame.

And then going again going again because he was so eager to know that to me is a clear proof of how jesus respected the word of god. So when we talk about following jesus we can talk about it so glibly.

Yeah i want to follow jesus. I want to walk like he walked and all that. But this is where he began. He didn't begin by preaching. He didn't begin by doing miracles. He began by studying god's word studying the bible.

And he believed it was the word of god. He had no doubt about it because he all he would always refer to it as what the word of god says. Word of god says he's he was sure of it. And how did he have that.

Did he have some study of various research done by different people whether this is god's word or not like people discuss today. No there were no research papers on those days on the old testament. No such thing.

Faith, the Holy Spirit, and Meditation

They initially they accepted it by blind faith. Yeah when i started reading the bible it was i couldn't prove it to anybody. This is god's word. I accepted it by blind faith because my parents taught me that.

But as i read it through the years i i can look back now or the last years of my life. In the early years of my life i met a few really godly men very few and not necessarily in the same church sometimes from some other church really godly people one or two from another country as well.

And there were two things i was found with common about all the brothers whom i met godly older brothers whom i met whom i appreciated highly. There were two things common about all of them. One was they all believed that the bible was the word of god.

Second they all had a genuine experience of being filled with the holy spirit. These two things were common about all the men of god i met in my younger days. And i said lord i want to go that way. I want to be convinced that this is god's word and accept it as god's word.

Even if i don't understand it in the beginning i'll accept it. Blind blind faith is god's word and continue on that. And i want to be filled with the holy spirit. These are the two things i wanted because these are the two things i found in the men whom i admired and respected the most as a young man.

And today i don't need somebody else to tell me. Now i know myself. This is this is the word of god. So i can imagine jesus meditating when he come came back home every day and thinking even probably when he's lying down in bed at night.

You know we have this one time you're you're free from everything and everything's quiet around us. And he could meditate on what he heard. And he did that again and again and again. And that's how at the age of 12 he could explain to these great 60 year old scholars sitting in the temple what the word of god meant.

He knew more than them. Not because he's the son of god but because he disciplined himself from that very young age to study the scriptures. And that formed the foundation of his whole life. That's why very often when the pharisees came to him and asked him why do you do this.

Or why do you do that. He'd always had an answer from scripture beginning with the very first time when satan came and said turn the stones into bread. And he said no it is written always. His answer was it is written.

Jesus’ Temptation and Living by Every Word

Have you noticed that in matthew 4 the very first part of jesus life we see he was tempted at the age of 30. And his answer was always it is written matthew 4 .4 food is not the main thing turn the stones into bread.

You've been fasting for 40 days. The devil says you're hungry and you've got power. You can easily turn these stones into bread. True. He's not stealing the bread and there are plenty of rocks there and there's not going to be any shortage of bread for other people.

If he turns these stones into bread he could have done it. And he was hungry. And he said no. He said i've not got a word from my father to do that. See that's the other thing we see about his life. It's not just that he read and meditated on god's word but he understood that the principle of walking with god is that you don't do something unless you're prompted by the holy spirit to do it.

I'm not talking about the normal things in life but in our relationship with god to be prompted by the holy spirit. So when the devil said turn these stones into bread there was he was hungry like anything out of 40 days not eating.

His body was craving for food. But always his question was is that what the father wants me to do. The father has given me supernatural power. He was anointed with the holy spirit of the baptism. But the question is can i use this power now to turn stones into bread.

I'm not stealing. I'm not borrowing. I'm not begging. I'm not harming anybody in the world. And it is for my own personal need every legitimate reason he has. But he says i've not heard from the father.

And man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from god's mouth meaning that i've not had a word from the father telling me to quench my hunger by turning these stones into bread.

So i'm not going to listen to you. However logical it may sound what i learned from that is that as some certain things would sound okay to my reason if i have the power why can't i do it. It's like a lot of believers say i got the money.

Why can't i buy it. Okay see how much you'll grow spiritually if you live like that. There are many people who live like that. I have the money. So why can't i buy this. I have the money. Why can't i do that.

Not. The disciple of jesus doesn't live like that. He prays about what he purchases. Lord do you want me to get this. Maybe a silent prayer. But he's very careful with his money here. Jesus had the equivalent of money power to turn the stones into bread.

What he wouldn't use it even though he was desperately hungry. I learned a tremendous lesson there. Oh jesus attitude to god's word. That has developed over a period of 30 years. So when we think of the thing that we emphasize in cfc the one who says he's a christian must walk as jesus walked.

Not just say i'm justified by faith. My sins are all forgiven. I'm on my way to heaven. I'm baptized in the holy spirit and i'm baptized in water. That's not it brother sister. That's the level at which all the other denominations live here in rlcf.

We seek to live at a much higher level. To walk as jesus walked to live by the principles by which jesus lived. And i wish all of you who listen will be challenged by this to at least from now. Say lord i want to understand the principles by which you live.

That's what i'm trying to point out here. Meditating on god's word knowing it so well in a few years of study see one of the things i saw there was that by the age of 12 means i assume that he must have started going to the synagogue.

Say at the age of five. Let's say pretty early at the age of five to go to synagogue. But let's say he went at five. But in seven years by the time he was 12 he knew the scriptures because he was consistent.

I don't believe he missed a single day. I'm sure he had to cut out certain other things which he his other brothers and sisters and all didn't. You know i've got to go and read the bible. And yet i find today you know the number of believers i've met.

I ask them do you read the bible every day. Oh brother i've been so busy and sometimes i just forget. You can't expect such a person to go far in his christian life. I want to ask all of you my dear brothers and sisters answer to yourself.

Do you read the bible every day even though you don't have to go to a synagogue to get it. It's right there in front of me in so many translations. You read and meditate on it every day. Or is your life so busy that you have no time for it.

If so there you see the reason why you lose your temper so frequently. The reason why you are anxious and worried so often. The reason why you have many problems in your life that cannot be solved. The reason why you're so judgmental of other people and critical and find it very difficult to be merciful to people.

There you see the reason why you don't know how to handle money or you love money and you're not able to break free from it many many things. You have no control over your lustful thoughts. It all reason lies in the fact that either you don't believe deep down in your heart that the bible is god's word and you don't know theoretically you say you do.

If you did you would definitely meditate on it that i believe you believe that right. You have in your home something that almighty god wrote down for us to live by. Even if i don't understand it i will read the portions i do understand and meditate and say lord help me to understand more.

This is fundamental. So every time the devil came up with something jesus answer was always it is written. And so the devil took up on that. Oh so you live on the basis of it is written. So the devil quotes it is written.

He said why don't you jump off the roof of the from the roof of the temple down take the shortcut down to the ground. Because it is written the devil said that he will give his angels charge to protect you.

So that's something we learned right at the beginning of the ministry of jesus that even the devil can quote the word of god. If he quoted it to jesus he will quote it to you and me. So when you find a scripture being quoted into your mind that you can use to do what you want to do you want to do something and you find a scripture to back it up.

You can be pretty sure that's the devil all right. He can give you a scripture. If you could give it to jesus. Why wouldn't he give it to you. And when he knows you're going down a wrong path and you're wanting to choose a particular path the devil sees you want to do it.

He'll give you a word a word to support it. See we have such a heart is so corrupt. The tendency of our heart it's towards sin not towards holiness. Remember this always. It's all called the flesh. The flesh's tendency is not towards holiness is towards sin.

It's downward not upward. So we can find scripture. And you can use it to justify yourself in some way. And you can scripture. I use an example sometimes when i'm speaking to young people to illustrate this and i say here's a you know in india marriages are arranged by the parents very often.

Misusing Scripture to Justify Our Desires

And here a a young man a father tells him you know that girl grace in the church i want you to marry her. She's a good girl. Now he he just doesn't like her. He doesn't like her face or he doesn't like something about her.

And so he goes to scripture and reads in second corinthians 12 9 god says my grace is sufficient for you. So he goes to his dad and says god's told me his grace is enough for me. I don't want this. That's a clear word for me that i should not choose this girl.

But god's grace is that. That's god's work to me. And he got his. He's got a scripture to support it. Now take another example. Here's another young man who's madly in love with a girl called grace but his parents are objecting to it the opposite.

And he goes to his dad and says god says this grace is his grace. He's the great. This is the grace that he has for me. I got that from second corinthians 12 9 my grace is sufficient for you. And he said this girl called grace is enough for me.

I'm just using that illustration to show how two people can use the same scripture and get completely opposite answers. It shows the perversion of our mind where i think it is god speaking. It's not god speaking at all.

It's just you going to scripture to find some support for what you want to do. Now you apply that to yourself. Have you done it in some situation. Now i'm sure you have. There's something you want to do.

You want to find some scriptural support for it. Ease your conscience. Yeah the god's word says that i can do it for all types of things you can support from scripture. Look at the number of people who do all types of things contrary to god word today they find some scripture for it.

So i'm saying that from this example that the devil says to jesus it is written. So just because it is written don't assume that it is the holy spirit speaking because jesus responded to that by saying in matthew 4 it is also written you shall not tempt the lord your god.

So that teaches me that at the beginning of jesus ministry. So he teaches me that one scripture must be balanced by the other scripture. I must not just go by one. Now how can i know how did jesus know which scripture to quote when jesus when the devil quoted another one because he had studied it and meditated on it and stored it in his mind so that at the age of 30 the right time the holy spirit brought the verse to his mind.

See that's the wonderful thing so many times in my life i have found in seeking for guidance in a particular area. The spirit of god brings some scripture in my mind. But he could not have brought it to my mind if i had not earlier meditated on it and stored it in my mind.

We miss a lot by not storing god's word in our mind. If we have not meditated on it and said lord i want this. I want to store this up in my mind. I don't need it now perhaps five years from now i may need it.

But i want to store up god's word in my mind. And imagine the devil finally even tempted him to worship him. And the devil jesus again said it is written you shall worship the lord your god and serve him only.

And even from there i get something just from that one sentence. What did you get from that sentence if i read it to you matthew 4 10 jesus said to satan it is written you shall worship the lord your god and serve him only.

I'll tell you what i got from it. You cannot serve god before you first learn to worship him. Many people are serving god. Well are not worshiping him first learn to worship. Then you can serve. You shall worship and you shall serve.