Introduction:The Heart of the Story and

Our StoryRolling Hills Community Church

All bible references come from theNew American Standard Bible NABS unless otherwise notated.

God’s Story – Our StoryGod’s Story:God is real, He is present and He is working on our behalf in heaven. God’s Story is His plan.Our Story:We live on earth and we see things from our earthly perspective.

The Big Picture•The Story of the Garden – Genesis 1-11•The Story of Israel – Genesis 12-Malachi•The Story of Jesus – Matthew-John (The Gospel)•The Story of the Church – Acts-Jude•The Story of the New Garden - Revelations

What is the Bible• 66 Books• Broken into 2 Testaments• Written by over 40 human authors – inspired by the

Holy Spirit• Written over a period of roughly 1,500 years• Written on 3 different continents.• Written in 3 different languages• Telling one complete unified message

Old Testament5 – 12 – 5 – 5 – 12

5 – Pentateuch12 – History5 – Poetry5 – Major Prophets12 – Minor Prophets

New Testament4 – 1 – 21 – 1

4 – Gospels1 – History21 – Epistles (Letters)1 – Prophecy

Guidelines for

Understanding the

Scriptures

1. Begin with prayer2. Read the Bible3. Study the Bible4. Meditate on the Bible5. Read what other have written on the Bible6. Obey the Bible7. Pass it on to others

Begin with Prayer

Begin with PrayerBut when He, the Spirit of truth, comes,

He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but

whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

John 16:13

Begin with Prayer

Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.

Psalms 119:18

Begin with PrayerFor this reason I too, having heard of the

faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while

making mention of youin my prayers;

Ephesians 1:15-16

Begin with Prayerthat the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of

wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Ephesians 1:17-18

Begin with PrayerI pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance

in the saints,

Ephesians 1:17-18

Begin with PrayerNow we have received, not the spirit of

the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things

freely given to us by God,

1 Corinthians 2:12-14

Begin with Prayerwhich things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual

thoughts with spiritual words.

1 Corinthians 2:12-14

Begin with PrayerBut a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are

foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are

spiritually appraised.1 Corinthians 2:12-14

Begin with PrayerFor who among men knows the thoughts

of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?

Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 2:11

Begin with Prayer“I have many more things to say to you,

but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will

guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but

whatever He hears, He will speak; andHe will disclose to you what is to come.

John 16:12-16

Begin with PrayerHe will glorify Me, for He will take of

Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I

said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. “ A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little

while, and you will see Me.”John 16:12-16

Begin with PrayerBut the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the

Father will send in My name,He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

John 14:26

Read the Bible

Read the BibleAnd all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the

Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of

Moses which the Lord had given to Israel.Nehemiah 8:1-3

Read the BibleThen Ezra the priest brought the law

before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

Nehemiah 8:1-3

Read the BibleHe read from it before the square which

was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of

men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were

attentive to the book of the law.Nehemiah 8:1-3

Read the BibleThey read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that

they understood the reading. Nehemiah 8:8

Read the Bible

…the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in

their place.Nehemiah 8:7

Word-For-Word

NASB

Thought-For-Thought

NIV

Paraphrase

NLT

My Recommendations

Study the Bible

Some Methods of Studying the Bible

•Devotional•Chapter Summary•Thematic / Topical•Biographical•Verse-by- Verse

Source: Rick WarrenBible Study Methods.

Bible Study Tools•Concordance•Bible Dictionary•Topical Index•Maps / Atlas

Meditate on the Bible

Meditate on the BibleThese words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You

shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the

way and when you lie down andwhen you rise up.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Meditate on the BibleYou shall bind them as a sign on your

hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the

doorposts of your house andon your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Meditate on the BibleHow blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor

stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the

law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalms 1:1-2

Read what others have Written on

the Scriptures

Tools•Study Bibles•Commentaries

Obey the Bible

Obey the Bible

through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the

obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,

Romans 1:5

Obey the Bible

but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God,

has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;

Romans 16:26

Obey the BibleYou are our letter, written in our hearts,

known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ,

cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of

stone but on tablets of human hearts.2 Corinthians 3:2-3

Pass it on to Others

Pass it on to Others

not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the

more as you see the day drawing near.Hebrews 10:25

For Next Week1. Read in The Story – Chapter 1 Creation: The

Beginning of Life as We Know It

God’s Story – Our StoryUpper Story:God is real, He is present and He is working on our behalf in heaven. God’s Story is His plan.Lower Story:We live on earth and we see things from our earthly perspective.

2015/2016 Men’s Bible

StudyRolling Hills Community Church

All bible references come from theNew American Standard Bible NABS unless otherwise notated.