Most people are still on deny or don’t realize that the Bible is That special Book whereby you can have the answer to all your questions if you use it properly. As it can help, guide, give you hope, courage, and counsel you in all areas of life and connect you to God. In the beginning of all creation, was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ¹, and that Word was Jesus. So, when we read the scriptures as a Novel we will get nothing from it but when reading it with faith, belief, we will get something out of it. By reading the Bible, one thing we can receive from it is the answer to any of our problems and questions; it also can instruct us to the way we should go and be a source of courage, produce patience, and give us hope. The Scripture we are studying today is:

“For whatever things were written before [in the past] were written for our learning [teaching, instruction], that we through the patience [endurance] and comfort [encouragement] of the Scriptures might have hope”. (Romans 15:4 NKJV)

The focus of this topic is about how learning the scriptures can get us answers. First, let’s talk a bit about the word “Scripture” which is the Word of God and as I mentioned above it is Jesus. In case you are not sure, the Holy Spirit is the Author of scriptures, if we read the book of Peter, we will realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s [the writers] own understanding or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God ².

Hebrews 4:12 says “the Word of God is alive and active”. Therefore, we will need the Holy Spirit to understand it. For He is the One who interprets Scriptures and 1 Corinthians shows us that a man that doesn’t have the Spirit of God can’t understand the Bible ³. Most of the people that claims to know the Bible but don’t know God are very argumentative and they can prove to you that God doesn’t exist in the Bible. Why? Because, they don’t get that one can’t understand that s/he cannot understand unless s/he understand by the Spirit ⁴. So, we need to be careful that we don’t read the Bible just with our minds because the Holy Spirit brings revelation. You can read the same passage many times but will receive different revelations that you never had before. Why is that? It is because the Words of the Lord are pure [flawless] words, like silver tied in a furnace of earth, Purified [refined] seven times  ⁵. It is pure because the word is Jesus who is pure and will minister it to us several different ways (times). Therefore, we couldn’t have seen this just by reading, because the Holy Spirit interprets the Bible, He takes the Scripture and gives it life.

While I will focus on the following main words underlined above (“Learning”, “Through”, and “Might have Hope”) in the verse we are studying today, which is telling us that we can get hope by studying the scriptures who produce patience and courage we need in our daily life. I don’t know what is going on in your life presently, but God is speaking to you through this scripture that no matter what is going on, you can have hope, courage, and confidence in Him. And while reading the Bible, you can find a scripture that would make you rely more on Him therefore, expect and aspire for great things. But before you read, ask the Holy Spirit to give you the understanding and if you still don’t get the meaning, then go to your local faith-based Church or a Spiritual leader who can help.

Now, what was written in the past as mentioned above, was the Word of God (Scripture) which wasn’t written in what we called today the “Bible” but Scroll (s) and was also called at some point in the old Testament (OT), the book of Law (Torah – the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible) which are the first 5 books in the Bible today from Genesis to Deuteronomy. I believe that whatever Paul wrote in the OT wasn’t only for the people mentioned in that time period like Abraham nor for mere historical evidences; but to prepare us for the coming of Christ Jesus and regarding His life, death, and ministry.

1. By definition based on Dictionary.com, “Learning” is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught. There are many things to be learned out of the Scriptures; and they depict and teach us the experiences of others and Christ is telling us how “…these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings [instructions] for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.” ⁶
   The Bible says that Jesus was delivered over to die for our sins and was raised to life for our justification ⁷; and it is filled with illustration of Jesus and how He put others first. So, we are alive to illustrate God’s method of justification by faith, that Jesus came for a reason not in vain. Therefore, by learning the scriptures which were written for our good and as guide, they will show us how Jesus fulfilled what was written despite what He went through. Proving that God, the Father is well able to defend us as He did with Him (Jesus) only if we let God do it instead of us doing it for ourselves. The Scriptures will teach us patience [endurance], give us comfort during affliction, and encourage us in our sufferings. They will also be a source of counsel in order for us to hold fast and cherish God’s promises to be fulfilled while waiting patiently. Moreover, that we may have a place to get answers and overflow with confidence in His promises.
   Romans tells us that:

   “The Word which was credited [attributed] to Him [Jesus], was not written for His sake alone; But for us[all] also, to whom it [Bible] shall be credited, if we believe in Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.” ⁷

   As God is called the great I AM and also the Word, you will get what you put in as you read the Bible. In other terms, the Scriptures will become what you want it to become as you read it. If you believe and are convinced that it was inspired by God and it is Jesus, then you will see that it was actually written for you, otherwise, it will be just a mere book with chapters.
   Paul final charge to Timothy was to continue in what he has learned [Holy scriptures] and has become convinced of, because he knows those from whom he learned them ⁸ from. It is one thing to learn the scripture from a priest, pastor, or minister and another thing to be convinced of that teaching. So, the best thing to do is to pray, open the scriptures and seek the Holy Spirit for the best meaning and understanding. We also have to remind ourselves that salvation is personal and we need to continually work on it with fear and trembling.

2. “Through” can be defined as over, from beginning to the end, a process, experience, a way. Today’s verse says: “And that through the patience [endurance] and comfort [encouragement] of the Scriptures, His people might have hope”. That hope was not only for the time it was written or for the people it’s addressing to, but also for us in this present and future time, as well as for all generations. As Jesus fulfilled the commandment in Psalms 69:7 which stated: “For I endure scorn [reproach] for your sake, and shame covers my face”.
   Our reproaches [insults] felt on Jesus, we too will encounter tribulations but take heart, He overcame the world, and Jesus will be there to help us, Amen! Therefore, while going through your sufferings, dark moments, or painful experiences, I want you to know that it is just a process which will surely end, Amen! You need to realize that it all depends on how you respond to the situation. As a child of God whose eyes are focus on Jesus, don’t allow yourself to be down for you know the weapons to carry which are the Scriptures (Word of God). Letting yourself down is an open door to the enemy to access and destroy you more. Always be encouraged knowing that not only every situation surely has an end but also the Scriptures are made available for you and carry power to give you strength, patience, comfort, hope, courage, and answer (s) to your prayer.
3. “Might have hope”: What is hope? – Hope is a desire, a longing. Hope is a confident expectancy, which doesn’t arise from us but from God. So, we need to be believers of hope and get the understanding that those Scriptures were not only pertaining to Christ before death but still relevant to us until date. Because Christ sufferings and His self-sacrifice for us made Him our perfect role model, the Scriptures are applicable and were written for us to learn from and for our instructions on how to live our lives.
   All Scriptures are inspired by God which mean God-breathed and are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that a servant of God (who is you and I) may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.⁸ The Bible is The complete Book and doesn’t need to be altered for whatever reason. The responsibility of patience which goes with comfort, especially the patience through Christ which sustains us will be set to minister hope to us on that day when we don’t know it will be needed. For hope differentiates us from nonbeliever who may have hope as well but faithless. Hope is not an aspiring thinking, but a strong assurance about the things not yet seen and still to come, which can be defined as faith. ¹⁰

Romans calls us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.¹¹ Therefore, we need to be consistent in our prayers and be joyful in hoping that something good will happen in the midst of our storms. Let our works be produced by faith, our labors prompted by love, and our endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ ¹². By applying these, we will see that the Bible holds the answers of our prayers and will guide us throughout our life.

Last year, I was talking with a brother in Christ who had troubles finding some information (tutorials) to help him solve the tasks given at his new job. I have been praying that God helps him in this new journey of his career. So, I advised him to pray about it, ask God for help, and read the Bible for it has all the answers to our questions. He asked me: “how can this be, for the Bible won’t possibly show me how to create a complex formula in Excel?”. After his answer and my multiple attempts to have Him follow my advice, my last comment was “this has worked for me in many occasion in the past”.

As my friend and brother in Christ, you might also ask yourself the same question: How can the Bible show you how PowerPoint works? How to fix my marriage? Or even how to cook a specific dish and so forth? For my experience, it won’t show you those straight details you are expecting at that time but it will guide you to where you can get your answers. Also, the Bible can answer your questions by giving you scriptures that can be rules to follow. Another way God has answered me in this type of situation is by leading me to meet a person that has answer to what I was looking for.

As a programmer in an IT department, you can get stock sometimes for hours to solve a problem which the solution is right in front of your eyes. It is not that you don’t know or don’t have the skills, but it requires a different level of mindset, vision, and discernment, or just for you to take a short break and come back. Some problems might be an easy fix, some might be miracles (help from God) like my case at many occasions.

As my friend or anyone else thinking like him, I will say this: The Scripture or calling the name of “Jesus” should be among the first option to get the answers of your prayers or questions in any areas of your life. By reading a scripture and meditating on it or calling Him, you are connecting and communicating with God. And when you do that, God will speak to You since prayer is a two-way communication. Sometimes, He may reveal it to you right there or later in your dreams or through someone.

One day, as I was reviewing and testing a program code that I built to present the next day to director and managers, the code suddenly stopped working. I worked on an escaped plan with fake results to present in case I still can’t manage to fix it on time. I spent that whole day trying to figure out the issue and by midnight, I got tired and gave up while still worrying about my presentation. Before closing my laptop, I cried out to God for help for I tried it all on my own unsuccessfully. As soon as I laid down in my bed with my eyes closed, God loaded the solution into my spirit, and right there in bed, I knew that was the answer I was looking for. This made me laugh, I felt a sense of peace, I started thanking God and was excited for the next day. The meeting went successful as I was able to present the program that I built with confidence and didn’t have to use any fake results. That solution was INDEED the ANSWER to my problem. Isn’t God amazing? For our Lord always comes through when we can’t any longer or at our breaking point if we invite Him. He knows how far we can go and what we are capable of. Don’t just seat, relax and expect Him to do it all for you but as you call upon Him, do your part and He will surely meet you at your point of needs.

If we believe that the Bible is an important book and in what was written in John 1 as mentioned above, it shows us that Jesus was the Word sent to us. Why won’t we believe that we can get all our answers by studying the Scriptures? Didn’t God know what we will be going through before we were born? So, I believe He has everything in control and is working behind the scene for you and I. He will even use our failures and enemies to work in our favors. All we need to do is our part while keep believing, hoping, trusting, and be courageous knowing that at the end, all will work together for our (those who trust and believe) good ⁹. Amen!

It says in the Bible, my people are perishing for lack of knowledge ¹⁰. I believe it is so true because we are too complacent, lazy, want quick things, and don’t have time anymore to get the knowledge via the Bible. How will you know the plan of God for your life if you don’t pray, read the scriptures, study and meditate? How can you discern when He is talking to you about your life and condition? People of God, it’s not easy. Let’s get real, open your eyes and look around you. I beseech us to get up, start reading and studying the Scriptures so we will not end up be a sculpture for the enemy. The end time is nearer than we might think. Because salvation is personal and requires your own work, no one will work for you to get you to heaven but others can only encourage you to work towards it with fear and trembling as stated in the Bible. For example, we all know that education is essential in life. Let us look at it this way, as our school is important for our future career so do the Bible for our salvation. Let us be encouraged to change our ways of thinking and habits today and make up our minds to spend time praying to God and reading the Scriptures. In doing that, it will prepare us for the coming rapture as the end time is near. The honest truth is that most of the times, we use the Word of God to fit our needs when knowing that it should be the opposite. Matthew 6:33 says:

“Seek first the kingdom [of God] and His righteousness, and all these things [heart desires] will be given to you as well”.

Why am I saying this? It’s because we might be leaving in this world but we are not from this world. As followers of Christ, we do not live by the world standards but God’s own (His Words/Scriptures). The Bible remind us that we are called not to: “conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.¹³ Following His standards requires a daily process of dying to ourselves so we can be Holy and be a pleasing sacrifice in the eyes of our God. Instead of us trying to alter the standard of the Bible to fit our own lives, it should be better for us to understand that we are the one to make our lives fit into God’s standards. For the Word of God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

To achieve that, we need to reject the world standards and bring ourselves to Christ so He can renew us. Many will ask me: What does it means to bring myself and situation to Christ? It can be done by drawing closer to Him through prayer, by seeking Him through the scriptures, by meditating and by letting the Word infuse into our souls knowing that because His Word is living and active therefore, it can permeate fresh life into us. In all, my advice to us should be that in every situation we are facing and in every areas of our lives, let us seek and invite Jesus from the start so He can see us through the process. Therefore, in “everything you do put Me first.” ¹⁴

I hope this will encourage you today not to give up during your challenges but to desire to learn more about God and His Words [Scriptures] while hanging there and holding on His promises. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit ¹⁵ in Jesus name, Amen!

 

Let’s Pray:

Father in the name of Jesus, I thank You for this day and Your Words which enlightened us to continue to thrive; let us find hope through patience and courage as we learn Your Words which are active and alive. Have Your way in us and make us Your instrument wherever we go. Almighty God as we pray, grant us grace to read the Scriptures and study more, and be consistent in it as I go by our daily lives as it was written to instruct us through Christ’s path in Jesus Name.
Jesus, I need and love You, I invite You today into my situation(s) and every part of my life. Lord, help me to overcome the spirit of laziness and distractions as You Lord, renew my mind. Holy Spirit help me to understand the Word as I read them [Scriptures] and reveal to me the deepest secret behind them in Jesus mighty Name I have prayed, Amen!

Remember Jesus loves you and wants you to draw closer to Him. You are blessed and highly favored in Jesus Name. God is always with you; He holds you by His right hand, and guide you with His counsel ¹⁶ for His counsel offers the greatest wisdom conceivable. No matter the storm, God says there is hope if you trust in Him.

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¹John 1:1,14;  ²2 Peter 1:20-22; ³1 Corinthians 2:9-14;  ⁴Myles Monroe;  ⁵Psalms 12:6;  ⁶ 1 Corinthians 10:11;  ⁷Romans 4:25, 23-24;  ⁸2 Timothy 3:14, 16-17;  ⁹Romans 8:28;  ¹⁰Hebrews 11:1,7, Hosea 4:6;  ¹¹ Romans 12:12;  ¹²1 Thessalonians 1:3;  ¹³Romans 12:2;  ¹⁴Proverbs 3:6; ¹⁵Romans 15:13;  ¹⁶Psalms 73:23-24