Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

Psalm 119:34  Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.  In our previous posts, we have studied what the Psalmist meant when he prayed for understanding from God and his commitment to keep His law.  In this post, we will seek to understand what the Psalmist means by observing the law with his whole heart.  One simple truth is that it is not enough to keep God's law, unless we keep it with all of our heart.  God requires our whole heart in serving Him. Our heart is a fountain of good and evil and we must diligently guard it and look after its spiritual condition.  External professions of faith have no real value .  Acts 5:1-6  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,  2)  And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.  3)  But Peter said, Ananias, why h...

Good morning to each of you on this Lord's Day. Below are the YouTube links to view Pastor Alvis's Sunday school lesson, Sunday sermon and its application, from July 24, 2022. May these be a rich blessing to each of you. Bob  

  We are studying the will of God in a survey manner, hoping to see clearly how the will of God is expressed.  He has made known His will on the pages of scripture and each believer has an obligation to search these things out.  My intent is not an exhaustive or complete study, but rather, looking at examples of God's will in each book of the Bible.  First, we saw that God's will is always found whenever He speaks. When God said "Let there be light" that was a clear communication of His will. We saw God teach Adam His will. Part of His will was with regard to agriculture and animal husbandry. One important part was a moral test, involving what Adam and Eve ate. We learned that a faith response to the will of God means we simply obey what He is telling us to do or not do. We also learned that sin causes spiritual and physical death. It also has long term consequences resulting from our sinful actions and it saddles us with shame and guilt. Finally, we learned tha...

I want to share a simple series of lessons that answer this basic, fundamental question "Can I know the will of God?" Much has been said, written, preached and debated about the will of God over a long period of human history. I will not address any of those issues with this series. Rather, I want to let the scriptures s peak and show us whether or not we can know and obey the will of God.  I propose to do this by looking at texts  in each post,  beginning with the Old Testament  God's will with respect to creation.  Genesis 1:3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.   Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created all things. This text is the first time where we read of God speaking. When He speaks, He makes His will known.  God spoke and said "Let there be light: and there was light."  What was God's will? That light should exist. Only God knew what "light" was because He commanded it to exist.  What happens when God expresses ...

Seek the kingdom of God first. Colossians 3:1-4  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.2) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.3) For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.4) When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. After teaching us about the doctrines of Jesus Christ and exalting our Lord, Paul also confronted some of the false teaching. He reminded us that our antidote to false teaching is knowing the truth and all that we have on Jesus Christ.  Then, the apostle turned us to learning about our duties toward God. We must choose to seek the kingdom of God first and to set our hearts upon the things of God rather than the things of this world. Put to death our old man ways. Colossians 3:5-7   Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection...

Psalm 119:33  HE. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.  We learned about the Psalmist's prayer for teaching from God followed by a prayer for understanding. We also saw that he committed himself to keep the  statutes of God for the remainder of his life. He committed to observing the law of God with his whole heart.  Understanding is granted so that we can practice what we learned.   Psalm 119:34  Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.  When God gives us understanding, it is good for our heart. We can meditate upon His truth.  This means thinking about what He teaches us so that we can see its beauty from many points so that we can retain it in our hearts.  Spending time thinking and reflecting upon God's word brings understanding. Psalm 119:99  I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.  Underst...

Understanding from God disciplines us for spiritual warfare. Psalm 119:33,34  HE. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.  34)  Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.  We need understanding from Jehovah so that we are disciplined and prepared for  spiritual warfare. There are short term pains and struggles in this life, that will be exchanged for eternal life, heaven's joys and God's glory, when the Lord calls us home. Since the world and all that is in it is destined to be burned or purified with fire, it is foolishness to live for the things of the world (2 Peter 3:3-13). Short term pain but long term gain.  Psalm 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Understanding from the teaching from God prepares us to serve Him now and for worshipping Him in heaven. Pain comes befor...