B. We are to search the Bible to find out what God wants us to do and to be. You and I must search the scriptures to find out if we are doing the things that God reveals in His word.

C. Jesus wants to love us and we are to love Him.

1. John 14:15 - “If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.”

2. Matthew 22:37 - “And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

3. He wants us, also, to love our neighbors.

a. Matthew 22:39 - “And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

D. We are to search the Bible in a way that we will understand what God would have us to do. I want to take the word search and taking each letter of the word, let each letter stand for a word that will help us to search the Bible with the right frame of mind. Tonight as we search the scriptures we’ll let the S - stand for Seriousness -- E - stand for Earnestness -- A - stand for Anxiousness -- R - stand for Regularity -- C - stand for Carefulness -- and H - stand for Humility.

A. Acts 17:11 - “Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were so.”

B. II Timothy 2:15 - “Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.”

C. Those unwilling to do the will of God will not be serious about His word.

1. Matthew 7:21 - “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

A. The Israelites were told by Joshua that they were to be a student of God’s word.

1. Joshua 1:8 - “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shall make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

2. Psalm 119:11 - “Thy word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

B. Jesus says that if we will do His will, He will be with us.

1. John 8:31,32 - “Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

2. Hebrews 5:8,9 - “Though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all them obey him the author of eternal salvation.”

III. ANXIOUSNESS - [ANXIOUS] - “eager or desirous: anxious to please”

A. John 20:30,31 - “Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.”

B. Psalm 119:9 - “Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed hereto according to thy word.”

C. Psalm 119:105 - “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path.”

A. Look back with me again at

1. Acts 17:11 - “Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were so.”

B. Psalm 1:2 - “But his delight is in the law of Jehovah; and on his law doth he meditate day and night.”

A. Luke 24:27 - “And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

B. II Timothy 3:16-17 - “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.”

C. Those who refuse to obey the gospel, will be lost.

1. II Thessalonians 1:8-10 - “Rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day.”

A. Luke 24:45 - “Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures.”

B. James 1:22 - “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.”

C. Galatians 5:22-24 - “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self- control; against such there is no law. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.”

A. As we search the scriptures we find what God wants us to do and if we will be honest and truthful we will acknowledge whether we have done it or not. And so as we come to the close of tonight’s lesson, if there is anyone here that needs to respond to the invitation of God, we hope and pray that you have searched your life and want to make it right with God. Won’t you come as together we stand and sing.