Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

Magnify Jesus Christ for He is preeminent.  Colossians 1:15-18  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:  16)  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:  17)  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.  18)  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.  The apostle Paul spent quite a bit of effort to extoll the riches and glory of Jesus Christ. He worked hard to show us the treasures that we have been granted in Christ.  The answer to false teaching and seducing spirits is to read and remember the words, works and person of Jesus Christ. Paul magnified Jesus Christ before he ever addressed the spiritual issues facing the church at Colosse.  Notice how frequently Paul re

Psalm 119:25-30  DALETH. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.  26)  I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.  27)  Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.  28)  My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.  29)  Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.  30)  I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.  Asking Jehovah to protect us from sinners and from ourselves.  Psalm 119:31  I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame. We have looked at several of the important aspects of sticking to the scriptures like glue, and now we look at the prayer request made by the Psalmist.  The first half of this text is his declaration of being faithful with regard to the Word of God. We see the confident assurance the Psalmist has as he makes his request known to the Lord. God already knows that th

Colossians 2:1  For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;  We began digging into Colossians two in our last post. We noted the great physical and spiritual conflicts that the apostle Paul endured for the sake of the gospel.  In addition, he wanted the Colossians to know that even though he had not yet visited them in person, he still prayed hard for their needs daily. Have full assurance in the Person of Jesus Christ Colossians 2:2  That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; We studied the first part of verse 2 in our last post. We learned about what it means to have our hearts knit together in Christ's love for one another.  Holy love for Jesus Christ knits the hearts of Christians one to another. Faith and love for Jesus

Psalm 119:25-30  DALETH. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.  26)  I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.  27)  Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.  28)  My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.  29)  Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.  30)  I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.  Adhering to Jehovah's truth makes our faith resolute. Psalm 119:31  I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame. There are other reasons why we must be stuck like glue to the scriptures. It fortifies us against troubles that may come from outside the church.  The Apostles warned us about false teaching and false teachers several dozen times in their writings. Therefore, when some type of error creeps into the church, those who are stuck to the scriptures will not be swayed from s

Paul's intercessory prayers for Christians he had not yet seen. Colossians 2:1  For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh ;  The apostle Paul begins the next chapter of his epistle to the Colossians by referencing the many struggles he experienced for the sake of preaching the gospel.  He wanted to show that there was a great contrast between an apostle called by God, and those false teachers who sowed confusion among the saints at Colosse questioning their faith.  There were two other churches within close proximity to the church at Colosse. Laodicea and Hierapolis. The letter from Paul was shared between all three churches, so that they benefitted from the same apostolic teaching.  Gnostics and other false teachers sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the believers. They wanted false teaching to have more influence over the people than the mighty gospel of Christ.  The &quo

Cleaving and quickening. Psalm 119:25  DALETH. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.  There will be times in our Christian walk when the changing circumstances of this life overwhelm us, and like the Psalmist, we find our soul cleaving to the dust.  Friends may betray us, family may shun us, our physical or mental health may suffer illness, we may suffer from any number of crisis points.  Yet, when we are flat on our back, we can still look up to our Lord Jesus Christ. He will hear us when we cry out to Him and He will send aid. He will revive our spirit and quicken our hearts through His Word.  Declaring and teaching. Psalm 119:26  I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes. We learned that "declaring my ways" to Jehovah is connected with confessing and forsaking any sin in our lives. It is seeking to live a holy, God honoring life of transparency before Him.  It means asking Jehovah to search our hearts and know the