CRBC Wednesday Night Bible Study: 5/30/2007

“SPECS Bible Study Method”

II Timothy 2:15- “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

 

Introduction

            Study = “to attempt to learn thoroughly or completely”.  It’s more than just reading.

 

            I don’t have to tell you that it is important that you study your Bible.  I don’t have to tell you that you are commanded by God to study His Word.  These are things that you hear taught and preached almost on a weekly basis.  However, I think that many people know these things but don’t know how to put them into practice.  If they read the Bible, they find it difficult to understand or it seems overwhelming.  Thus, it is my goal to teach you a simple method that will help you in this area.

 

            Keep in mind that this method is a foundation.  Once you become comfortable with it, you can “tweak” it, add to it, etc. to make it fit your style a little better. J 

 

Basically, as you study Scripture, there are 5 things that you should look for.  Once you know what you should be looking for, finding it becomes just a little bit easier.  This is why we call it the “SPECS” method. (“specs” is a shortened form of “spectacles”, an old name for eyeglasses)  “SPECS” is an acronym- each letter stands for one thing to look for.  Just as glasses make things more clearly seen, this method will help Bible truths to be more clearly seen.

 

I.                    The “SPECS” method explained

a. “S” = sin(s) to be confessed

                                                               i.      The Scripture passage you are studying may warn, teach, or remind you of what is or is not a sin.

                                                             ii.      This is an opportunity for you to take the time to examine your own life and see if you have a problem in the area that your Scripture passage talks about. (James 1:23-25 – “23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”)

1.      Don’t be afraid to ask the Lord to reveal things to you that you need to change about your life. (Psalm 26:2- “Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.”)

b.      “P” = promise(s) to claim (II Peter 3:9- “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”)

                                                               i.      2 types:

1.      “Good” promises (rewards, blessings, etc.) are among the most encouraging passages of Scripture you can read.

2.      “Bad” promises (punishment, judgment, etc.) serve as warnings to keep us out of trouble.

                                                             ii.      Remember- most of the promises you’ll find are conditional.  There is an action that will spark the fulfillment of the promise.

c.      “E” = example(s) to follow or not to follow

                                                               i.      If the example being set pleases God, then follow it in your own life.

                                                             ii.      If the example being set displeases God, then let that be a warning to you about what to avoid.

d.      “C” = command(s) to obey (John 14:15- “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”)

                                                               i.      Many times these are the conditions to the promises we looked at above.  However, sometimes they just stand on their own.

e.      “S” = significant truth(s) to learn

                                                               i.      Examples include:

1.      facts about God or His character

2.      stumbling blocks for us to avoid in our lives

                                                             ii.      These are often things that the Lord just wants us to think about, consider, etc.

 

II.                 Things to remember

a.      Not all verses or passages of Scripture will have all 5 of these things.  Some may have only one, some may have more than one, and some may actually have all five.

b.      If you come across a word or words that you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to look it up in a dictionary or online.  You can also ask someone else for help in this area- they may have or know of resources that you don’t.

c.      Please don’t think that this is something that you can rush through and barely even think about.  There is no method of Bible study out there that can just lay everything out for you without you having to put in some time and effort.  This method is meant to give you a foundation to build upon.

 

Conclusion

In the next few weeks, we will be putting this method into practice together so that you can see it in action for yourselves and gain a better understanding of how it works.