Deeper Through Study

Greeting – Shake hands with two or three people and tell them “Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you.”

Text: 2 Tim 2:11-15

The text we’ve just read is an extract from one of the pastoral epistles written to Evangelist Timothy by Apostle Paul while Apostle Paul was in prison for the second time in Rome. Shortly after he wrote this epistle, history recorded it that he was beheaded.Paul’s letter to Timothy is as present today as it was when it was originally written. Apostle Paul knew that the significance of studying cannot be over-emphasized, that was why in later verses of this book, he stressed the need for Timothy to come quickly to him and when coming he should bring along with him his books and his papers.

There is an agreed saying among the elites that when an educated person dies, the equivalent of a library burns down.

2 Tim 2:15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”

To study means to learn, to observe diligently, to go in-depth, to critically examine. Whatever we want to know about, we study it. To know more about medicine, you’ve got to study medicine. It is imperative for us as Christians to know our God, for the bible says those that know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploit. The only way through which we can know him is by studying him, which can be achieved through his divinely inspired book.

God instructs you and I today, and he says “Study!”. Not only did he say study, but he gave us three reasons why we need to study:

1. To present yourself approved unto God: Ezra 7:8-10. Why was the gracious hand of the Lord on him? Ans: 1&2&3. Jos. 1:8 says “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.” James 1:25 says “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” For one to receive God’s blessing, it means the person has been approved of God, and in order to be approved of God, you need to study his word, and not be a studier only, but a doer of the work.1 Thes 2:4 says But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak

   God will only approve those that are able to speak the truth of the Gospel, and for you to be able to speak that truth, you must know the truth. And in order to know the truth, the truth has to be studied.

   By the grace of God some members of this parish has already read the bible from Genesis to Mathew this year.

   When Rev George Adegboye came the last time, we were all excited for him, and I’m sure about 90% of us would want to know the word just like him, but I’m sure less than 10% of us would be willing to go the extra miles like he did. This man said at the Dallas North American convention that he had read the bible from Genesis to Revelations for more than 200 times. The day I determined that I will read the whole each year, from that day heavens arose to back me up. Then I realized what God meant when he says he will give us the desires of our heart. It’s all a matter of determination.

   The first reason why God’s gracious hand was on Ezra was because he determined to study the Word. So, Ladies and Gentlemen, “Study, to shew thyself approved unto God”

2. To build yourself up as a worker that will not be ashamed: To be ashamed means to be embarrassed, to be humiliated, to feel guilty. And one reason why anyone can be ashamed is when he is not fit in whatever he has been called to do. A shameful worker is a worker who does not have the necessary skills and expertise to do his job. Prov. 30:21-23. What is this passage saying? Does it mean God does not want a slave to become a king? Or he doesn’t want a bitter woman to get married? NO! What it’s saying is that if a salve becomes a king, he is not expected to still have the mentality of a slave! Because that will bring shame! When an unbeliever becomes a believer, It is disgusting and the earth cannot endure it if he still behaves like an unbelieve due to ignorance of the word, talkless a worker or a potential minister of God.That’s why 2Pet1:2-3 says “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you though the knowledge of our God and Jesus Christ our Lord”. Through the knowledge of our God grace is multiplied, so work vigorously at increasing that knowledge, and his grace upon your life will be multiplied in Jesus name.

   2Tim2:15 “Study to shew approved unto God, a Worker that needed not to be ashamed”

3. To enable you correctly dissect the work of truth: The bible says you are a royal priesthood, you are a peculiar people. It says you are a noble person. One character I know of noble people is in Acts 17:11 when he talks of the Bereans that “these were more noble that those in Thessalonica, in that they receive the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scripture daily, whether those things were so.” What makes them more noble than the Thessalonicans? How often did they search the scripture? So, for you to retain you position in the Lord as a noble person, you also need to search the scripture daily. You need to search the scriptures daily because the need for understanding in the body of Christ is just as apparent today as it was in the days of the Apostles.
   False teachers out of ignorance and intent change the messages directed towards us, either to advance an agenda, or to control us, or to bind the conscience of one over many.The Bereans were complimented not only for their willingness to hear the message of God being brought to them, but also for carefully seeking truth. Unwilling to just take such a important message at face value, they studied the scripture. They studied to ascertain that what they were told was actually true and to increase there knowledge. There is the need for you also to increase your knowledge so that the likes of Apollos in Acts 18, who has half knowledge of the truth will not feed you with half information, and then you will go about chanting the half information all over the place. Like in my country of birth we have people that are called “Ole n’tele aafa” who chants louder what the aafa says. When the Aafa says “my people”, the “ole n’tele aafa” will say “oh my people”. Don’t make your life like that of a wheel biro going as far as people can push it. Push yourself, energize yourself in the Lord, set your priorities right, and the Lord himself will arise on your behalf.

   It is of severe significance that you are able to correctly dissect the word of truth so that people like the Jews represented by Peter in Gal 2, and 1Cor10, and the Pharisees of Jesus time, that are blinded by tradition will not prevent you from enjoying the fullness of your liberty in Christ Jesus. Also of importance the likes of Elymas and the teachers of 2Pe2, that are intentionally changing the word of God for their own purposes, either to discredit a group, or to gain money, or to gain power and or to have control over you will not put you under boundage from which Christ has already set you free. Therefore “study to shew thyself approved ……the word of truth”

Would you please stand with me as we rap this up.

My brothers and my sisters, as you have received Jesus christ the Lord, I beg you to so walk in him, that you be rooted and built up in him, and be determined to be established in the faith. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the fellowship of the holy spirit be with us now and forever more. Amen.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine ………