Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP200019S
|
00:01 In today's edition of 3ABN Sabbath School Panel
00:03 we continue our discussion of "How to Interpret Scripture." 00:06 This lesson, lesson number six is 00:09 "Why is Interpretation Needed?" 00:11 I want to encourage you to grab your Bible, 00:13 and your Sabbath School quarterly, 00:15 and a notebook to take down notes 00:18 as we explore this topic together. 00:20 But first if you don't have a quarterly, 00:22 go to the following website, ABSG.Adventist.org. 00:27 That's ABSG.Adventist.org. 00:32 And you can download a copy and study with us. 01:10 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:12 I'm Jill Morikone, and we're so glad that 01:15 you've taken time from your day 01:16 to join us in our study of the Word of God. 01:20 It's been an incredible study as we delve into, 01:23 why is scripture important? 01:24 And this lesson, lesson six, "Why is Interpretation Needed?" 01:29 I am excited to open up God's Word with you 01:32 and with our panelists. 01:33 To my left Pastor John Lomacang, 01:35 always a privilege to have you here. 01:36 Yes, I'm excited about the lesson. 01:38 "Translation and Interpretation" 01:40 is my day and I'm going to become 01:42 ecclesiastically obiter-dicted. 01:46 That would be a Pastor CA Murray phrase. 01:49 To Pastor John's left is Pastor Ryan Day. 01:52 Thank you so much for being here. 01:53 Hey, it's a blessing to be here 01:54 and I'm excited to study this topic. 01:56 It's going to be very much a blessing. 01:57 Amen. To your left Mr. Danny Shelton. 02:00 Honor and a joy to have you on the panel. 02:02 Thank you, it's good to be here 02:03 with all of these pastors, I feel a little bit inadequate. 02:08 So today whatever I don't do my Brother Kenny 02:10 is on the left of me so you can clean up for me 02:13 or whatever needs to be done, right? 02:15 Yes, exactly. What brothers are for? 02:17 Yeah, there you go. I love that. 02:18 Both of you as brothers together 02:20 here on the panel, 02:21 and a treat to have you too, Pastor Kenny. 02:23 It is always a blessing 02:24 and as a learning experience for me, thank you. 02:26 Amen. Learning experience for me too. 02:28 Before we go any further, let's go to the Lord in prayer. 02:31 Pastor John, would you pray for us? 02:32 Yeah. 02:34 Loving Father in heaven, 02:35 every opportunity is one where Your spirit is needed. 02:38 We do pray that your Holy Spirit will come now, 02:40 Lord, we have studied, but we need guidance 02:43 from above to make this an honor 02:45 to Your glorious name. 02:47 Be with each of us who present, 02:48 and those who are watching, and those who are listening, 02:51 and may all the glory and honor go just to You. 02:53 In Christ's name we pray. 02:54 Amen. Amen. 02:57 As we launch into our study today, 02:59 I want to look at six principles 03:01 of interpretation before we jump into Sunday, 03:03 which is on presupposition. 03:06 Principle number one, intention determines meaning. 03:11 The intention, the interpretation of scripture 03:13 must always be based on 03:15 the author's intention of meaning, 03:17 not on the readers' understanding. 03:20 What I mean by that is, if I wrote you, Pastor Ryan, 03:23 and I wrote a letter or I wrote a note, 03:26 what that note meant would be what I intended it to mean, 03:30 not necessarily what he got from the note, 03:33 you know, at the bottom of emails, 03:34 they always say emails are notoriously misunderstood 03:37 and are not a substitute for live communication. 03:40 So we need to understand 03:42 the intended meaning of the text writer 03:45 when they wrote it. 03:47 That way we can properly convey the message. 03:51 The text cannot mean what it never meant. 03:54 So we have to look at the author's intended meaning. 03:57 Principle number two, contexts determines meaning. 04:02 Interpretation must be done 04:04 based on the context of the passage. 04:07 Don't take one text and assume you know 04:09 what that text is telling you or what that text means. 04:12 You know, there's that story that people tell a lot. 04:16 A man opened up his Bible, remember? 04:17 And he said, "Now, 04:19 what do you have for me today, God?" 04:20 And he opened up to Matthew, and it said, 04:21 "And Judas went out and hanged himself." 04:23 He thought, "Surely that's not for me." 04:25 So he closed it again and he opened it again 04:28 and he opened to Luke and it said, 04:29 "Go thou and do likewise." 04:31 And then he thought, "Wait a minute," 04:33 so he closed it again and he opened it the third time 04:35 and he opened to John and it said, 04:37 "What thou doest, do quickly." 04:40 Context determines meaning. 04:42 You think about the phrase, "It was a ball." 04:45 That could mean many different things 04:48 based on the context. 04:50 You could mean we went to the dance last night, 04:52 but it was so formal, it was a ball. 04:55 It could mean the baseball umpire 04:57 saw the pitch drift to the outside, 04:59 and he said "It was a ball." 05:02 It could mean I'm walking on the golf course 05:04 and I saw something small and white and round over there, 05:07 it was a ball. 05:08 It could mean I had great fun 05:10 at the game night, we had a ball. 05:13 Context always has to determine the meaning. 05:15 That's right. 05:17 Number three, understand the difference 05:19 between literal and symbolic interpretation 05:22 because that will determine the meaning of scripture. 05:26 We interpret the Bible literally 05:27 when it can be taken at face value. 05:30 Literal interpretation means that 05:31 the biblical text has to be 05:33 interpreted according to its plain meaning 05:35 conveyed by the grammatical construction 05:37 and historical context. 05:39 Martin Luther subscribed to that, 05:41 John Calvin and the Protestant Reformers 05:43 subscribed to that interpretation 05:45 of the Word of God. 05:46 But we also know that there are symbols 05:49 and prophetic things in the Word of God. 05:53 Not everything is to be taken literally. 05:56 So we need to understand 05:57 when is it to be interpreted literally 05:59 and when is it figurative or symbolic? 06:03 Number four, 06:04 the genre of biblical literature 06:07 determines the meaning. 06:10 In other words, the Bible has 06:11 many different types of literature. 06:13 So we need to analyze, "Is this a portion of the law? 06:15 Is this a portion of prophecy? 06:18 Is this a portion of history from the Word of God? 06:21 Is this a portion of wisdom or poetry? 06:24 Is this a portion of the gospels 06:26 about Jesus or a portion of the parables? 06:29 Or a portion of the epistles, 06:31 those writings in the New Testament 06:33 specifically directed to a person or a church? 06:38 Number five, other scriptures determine meaning. 06:44 In other words use the Bible to interpret itself. 06:48 Isaiah 28:10, "Precept must be upon precept, 06:51 precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, 06:55 here a little and there a little." 06:57 Finally, number six, separate the interpretation 07:01 from application. 07:03 Look at the local historical context, 07:05 and then determine what the application 07:07 of that scripture is for us today. 07:10 Think about the widow who gave the two mites 07:12 in that story that Jesus. 07:13 When we read that you could think, 07:16 "Okay, literally that means 07:17 I'm supposed to give too mites," 07:18 that does not mean that. 07:20 If you look at the application for today, 07:22 it means we are called to give sacrificially 07:25 for the cause of Christ. 07:27 So you look at the historical context, 07:29 and then see what is our application for today. 07:32 Our memory text is Hebrews 11:6, 07:36 we've spent some time in Hebrews 11 07:37 through this journey. 07:39 Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, 07:44 for he who comes to God must believe that He is, 07:47 and that He is a rewarder 07:48 of those who diligently seek Him." 07:51 Sunday we looked at presupposition, 07:54 it's kind of a big word. 07:56 What does presupposition mean? 07:58 The dictionary says, 07:59 "It is a thing assumed beforehand, 08:03 at the beginning of a line 08:04 of argument or a course of action." 08:07 We really bring presuppositions into everything in life. 08:11 They come from our background. They come from our culture. 08:15 They come from the way we were raised. 08:17 They come from the things we experienced 08:19 or the things we didn't experience. 08:21 It's what we call baggage of life. 08:24 Have you ever noticed that? 08:25 We bring our baggage and experience 08:28 from the past into the present. 08:32 We bring presuppositions into relationships, 08:34 you ever noticed that? 08:36 You bring what you carry 08:37 from the past into a current relationship. 08:40 My grandmother really spoiled my grandpa. 08:43 In fact, every morning when it was time to wake up, 08:46 she brought him orange juice. 08:49 And that was his morning wake up like alarm. 08:53 Here's my grandma walking in 08:54 with a glass of fresh orange juice. 08:56 She ironed even his sheets and his t-shirts. 09:00 So when my grandma passed away and my grandpa remarried, 09:04 he brought with him some presuppositions 09:07 from the previous marriage thinking, 09:09 "Oh, maybe my new wife is gonna iron my t-shirts, 09:12 or maybe she's gonna bring me orange juice in bed." 09:15 Presuppositions, we bring them into relationships, 09:17 we bring them into understanding of God. 09:21 How our parents treated us, sometimes it impacts 09:25 how we think God is going to treat us. 09:27 We bring presuppositions into our jobs 09:30 and into our study of the Word of God. 09:33 The lesson says, "No one comes to the text of scripture 09:37 with a blank mind." 09:40 In other words, we all bring into our study 09:42 of the Word of God, a presupposition. 09:45 So how do we lessen presuppositions 09:48 or how do we break down our preconceived ideas 09:52 when we come to a study of the Word of God? 09:55 Four keys. 09:56 Number one, experience God for yourself 10:00 and share His character of love to someone else. 10:04 Luke 24:36-40, Jesus said, He stood in the midst of them. 10:10 This is the disciples, this is after the crucifixion, 10:12 death, resurrection, 10:13 the disciples are still terrified thinking, 10:15 "Is Jesus resurrected? 10:16 We heard some rumors 10:18 but we're not sure what's going on." 10:19 "And Jesus stood and He said, 'Peace to you,' 10:22 but they were terrified and frightened, 10:25 and supposed they had seen a spirit. 10:27 And He said to them, 'Why are you troubled? 10:29 And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 10:32 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I myself. 10:36 Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have 10:39 flesh and bones as you see I have.' 10:41 When He had said this, 10:42 He showed them His hands and His feet.'" 10:44 So the disciples could not believe it was Jesus. 10:47 So what did He say? "Taste and see." 10:49 Psalm 34:8, "Experience Me, 10:52 handle Me, experience Me for yourself." 10:57 So when we truly experienced God, 11:00 it breaks down some of those presuppositions 11:03 or preexisting thoughts we had about God, 11:07 or about His Word. 11:09 1 John 1:1-3, "That which was from the beginning..." 11:14 This is one of my favorite passages 11:15 and I've quoted it before, John the Apostle, 11:18 "Which we have heard, which we saw with our eyes, 11:21 which we've looked upon and our hands 11:23 have handled concerning the Word of life, 11:25 that which we've seen and heard we declare to You, 11:28 that You may also have fellowship with us." 11:30 So John's saying, 11:32 "I experienced God and I'm going to share 11:34 what I've experienced with you." 11:36 So the first key is just to experience God 11:38 and then share that with someone else. 11:40 The second key, to break down 11:42 these presuppositions is to allow the scriptures 11:45 to interpret themselves. 11:48 Don't try to interpret based on your understanding, 11:51 or based on maybe your tradition, 11:53 or the culture of the church around you, 11:54 or what you were taught in the past. 11:57 Luke 24:44, "He, Jesus, said to them, 12:02 'These are the words 12:03 which I spoke to you while I was still with you, 12:06 that all things must be fulfilled 12:08 which are written in the law of Moses, 12:09 and the prophets, and the Psalms concerning Me." 12:14 So Jesus didn't just take one scripture and said, 12:16 "Now here is the proof that 12:19 the Messiah was supposed to suffer" 12:20 'cause the disciples, what did they think? 12:22 They thought Jesus was going to come as a conquering king. 12:26 Who was going to up-break the Roman oppression. 12:29 They thought that Jesus was going to deliver them 12:32 and set them free. 12:34 And so Jesus didn't just take one scripture. 12:36 He began with the Law of Moses, 12:39 and the prophets and the Psalms, 12:41 He took multiple scriptures 12:43 and allowed the scripture to interpret itself. 12:46 Number three, this is vitally important. 12:48 Ask the Holy Spirit for understanding. 12:52 Luke 24:45, "He, Jesus, opened their understanding 12:56 that they might comprehend the scriptures." 12:59 We can never open up 13:01 the Word of God without going to God in prayer. 13:03 Without asking God to open up our hearts and minds 13:07 to understand what His truth is there. 13:09 John 16:13, Jesus says, "When He, 13:12 the Spirit of truth has come, 13:13 He will guide you into all truth." 13:15 The Holy Spirit can open up your mind 13:18 and heart to the truth in the Word of God. 13:21 Finally, number four, 13:22 do not harden your heart against Jesus 13:26 or the truth in His Word. 13:29 Ephesians 4:18, kind of a sad scripture. 13:32 Paul says, 13:33 "Having their understanding darkened, 13:36 being alienated from the life of God, 13:39 because of the ignorance that is in them, 13:41 because of the blindness of their heart." 13:43 The NIV says, 13:44 "Due to the hardening of your heart." 13:47 So when you are confronted with scripture 13:49 that maybe goes directly against your presupposition, 13:52 the way you were taught, 13:54 the church you were raised in, what you believed before. 13:56 Do not harden your heart 13:59 against the truth in God's Word. 14:03 So as we break down these presuppositions, 14:05 we experience who God is, 14:08 allow scripture to interpret itself 14:10 as the Holy Spirit for understanding. 14:12 And don't harden your heart. Pastor John. 14:14 Thank you, Jill. Thank you, Jill. 14:16 Which takes us to "Translation and Interpretation." 14:20 You know, when the Bible was written, 14:22 the Bible was written in various languages. 14:24 Old Testament, mostly Hebrew, a very small portion, 14:29 particularly the Book of Daniel Aramaic, 14:32 and the New Testament in Koine, Greek. 14:34 Now when you think about that, we don't speak that way today. 14:37 So every Bible has to go 14:39 through some kind of interpretation. 14:41 In other words, in order for me 14:43 to understand what Moses was saying, 14:45 or what Elijah was saying, 14:47 or what any Old Testament prophet said, 14:49 I have to first understand 14:51 it in the context of their language, 14:53 in the setting that they communicated that 14:56 and through the very means that they communicated that, 15:00 whether Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic, 15:03 when I understand what it means to them, 15:05 then I could understand what it means to me, 15:07 then I could make application. 15:08 So before you get application, 15:10 first begin with interpretation, 15:12 then translation. 15:14 Now any good translation has to go through 15:17 some kind of linguistic process today. 15:21 So I want to introduce something 15:22 because the picture that we presented the world 15:25 is the picture that 15:27 we believe God has disclosed to us. 15:30 I would describe something to someone 15:31 based on what I believe that thing is. 15:33 So therefore, our understanding 15:36 of the scripture shapes another person's belief 15:39 about who I communicate to them, 15:42 that God is or that Jesus is, 15:44 and the process is called hermeneutics. 15:47 It shapes our picture of God, 15:49 it assists in seeing the scriptures clearly. 15:53 Let me read this very short quote, 15:55 "The primary need of hermeneutics 15:57 is to determine and understand 15:59 the meaning of the biblical texts. 16:01 The purpose of hermeneutics is to bridge the gap 16:04 between our mind 16:06 and the minds of the Bible writers 16:08 through a knowledge of the original language, 16:12 the ancient history, 16:13 and the comparison of scripture with scripture. 16:17 I like that you said, Jill, let the entire Bible, 16:20 we pointed that out in a number of past lessons, 16:22 the Bible is its own interpreter. 16:25 If you understand the setting, 16:27 when Jesus talked about the Parable of the Sower, 16:29 He did that during the time of the year 16:31 where there was sowing so it was very clear 16:33 to the listeners of His day. 16:35 But if we say today, "Sowing" somebody that's make clothing, 16:39 they may think I'm talking about garments. 16:41 Well, we use words today like seeding, 16:44 which is quite different than the ancient word sowing. 16:47 So simply put, we see what we want to see 16:51 and we understand 16:52 what the Bible writers were attempting to show us. 16:55 If we make sure the Bible writers go first, 16:58 then they are able to shape what we see 17:00 and thereby we begin to communicate clearly 17:03 what the Bible is trying to communicate. 17:05 Next, our theology is shaped by our hermeneutics. 17:09 Said another way, 17:10 when our understanding of God's Word is Bible molded, 17:14 biblically molded, 17:16 then our picture of God will be scripturally accurate. 17:21 When the Bible molds the picture, 17:23 the story is a, you know, a man was very busy, 17:26 his son came to him interrupting, 17:29 and he kept coming back. 17:30 He told to him to do things, 17:31 he kept coming back and he said, 17:33 "I'll give him something that will take some time." 17:34 So he tore up a sheet of paper and send him away 17:37 and he came back a minute later and he said, 17:39 "Put that together." 17:41 He came back, he said, 17:42 "How do you put that together so quickly?" 17:44 He said, Well, dad, 17:45 on the other side was a picture of Jesus. 17:47 I just put the picture together. 17:49 That's how easy it was." 17:50 When you are handling things that are in pieces, 17:55 the picture that you present of Jesus will be molded 17:58 by your study of the Word. 17:59 Now one of the reasons 18:01 why Christian theology today is disjointed is perception, 18:06 rather than what God's Word says. 18:08 I'll introduce a few phrases 18:09 such as you may have heard of before propositional 18:12 and non-propositional theology. 18:15 What's the difference? 18:16 Propositional mean God reveals the truth 18:20 to which we respond by accepting them. 18:23 I'll give you an example, proposition, 18:25 if I said to my wife, "Would you marry me?" 18:27 That's a proposition. 18:28 If she says no, today, 18:30 I'm gonna ask her the same thing 18:31 next month and the same thing next year. 18:33 The proposition is not going to change. 18:35 When you are studying the Bible propositionally, 18:39 it doesn't change. 18:41 Every time you approach it, it's the same. 18:43 So propositional theology could be said another way, 18:46 it's called exegesis. 18:48 The process of drawing out of the scripture, 18:50 the meaning that's in the scripture. 18:53 When you draw out what's in it, 18:55 I cannot pull out of a hat with a bird, 18:58 I can't pull out a car because the bird is in it. 19:01 That's what exegesis simply means, 19:02 pull out what's already in the scripture. 19:04 Now there is now non-propositional theology. 19:08 They place emphasis on experience and rationality. 19:12 In other words, what does this mean to me? 19:15 What is my experience in my denomination? 19:17 And then they enter 19:18 into something called eisegesis, 19:20 quite different from exegesis, 19:21 which means the process of inserting a meaning 19:25 into the text that's not there. 19:29 That's why people say, 19:31 "Well, I know the Bible says, 19:32 'We sleep' but what about the soul? 19:35 Well, doesn't the soul go to heaven?" 19:37 The Bible says Lazarus sleepeth. 19:39 Well, I know he's sleeping but his soul went to heaven. 19:41 That's eisegesis, the Bible never said that. 19:44 And so we start inserting, why? 19:46 Because that's what we've been hearing in our circle. 19:49 That's what our theological denomination teaches. 19:51 Don't insert into the text, 19:53 that's non-propositional, meaning, 19:55 your interpretation changes from setting to setting 20:00 because you're not making the proposition 20:01 based on God's Word. 20:03 Until we spend time in the study of God's Word, 20:06 we will naturally place more emphasis on experience 20:10 and rationality. 20:11 You know, 1 Corinthians 12:10 20:13 and 1 Corinthians 14:26, I'm not going to read it. 20:16 But in both of those passages 20:17 you find the word interpretation. 20:20 In both cases it's talking about tongues. 20:22 Right. Yeah. Interpretation. 20:24 And one of the reasons today 20:26 why tongues is so confusing is 20:28 because they try to bring out the meaning of tongues 20:31 in 1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Corinthians 14. 20:35 They often miss 1 Corinthians 13, 20:37 where Paul says, "Though I speak 20:38 with the tongues of men and of angels." 20:41 But if you begin where tongues was first practiced, 20:44 in the Book of Acts, you get the context. 20:46 It was simply communicating 20:48 a local guy from West Frankfurt, 20:50 Danny and Kenny communicating in English that they have, 20:54 God now gives them 20:56 this instantaneous ability to speak in Greek, 20:59 Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Arabian, 21:01 the list goes on and on. 21:03 It's not some glossolalia, some confusion, 21:06 that God all of a sudden says, 21:07 "Now you have a secret language 21:09 that's called eisegesis, a non-propositional theology. 21:14 Luke says it very clearly 21:15 and we keep referring back to that, 21:17 but Jesus, Luke 24:27, 21:19 "He expounded to them in all the scriptures 21:22 of things concerning Himself." 21:23 Expound means to illustrate, to expand, to explicate, 21:29 meaning to illuminate, to expose and to reveal. 21:33 Jesus did that, if He wanted to establish 21:36 His divinity based on one passage, 21:38 He could have simply said to them, 21:39 "I am the Christ." 21:41 But they have been reading the Old Testament. 21:43 So He began where He knew the foundation 21:46 would be concrete and He, 21:48 He didn't leave a single detail out. 21:51 Before you come to the conclusion of a belief, 21:54 uncover every text that refers to that particular practice, 21:58 and then it's very clear. 21:59 Now here's a very powerful passage, 22:01 Luke 10:25-26, "On one occasion, 22:04 an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus." 22:08 He was what? An expert. 22:10 He's a teacher. 22:11 He asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" 22:15 Jesus said, "What is written in the law?" 22:19 And Jesus then said, "How do you read it?" 22:23 That's the NIV. "How do you read it?" 22:26 Are you ready for a light bulb? 22:28 The issue of reading the Bible 22:30 is not how much but how we read it. 22:33 It's not how much but how we read it, 22:37 because some people said, 22:38 "I read the Bible over and over," 22:39 and they're still locked in the false teachings 22:41 that they have been locked in. 22:43 It's like going into a room 22:44 with the lights on and you come out, 22:46 you come out still not seeing anything in the room, 22:48 because the Word of God is a light. 22:50 The issues of the Bible is not how much but how you read, 22:54 approaches to understand the Bible, 22:56 and less contextually and inter textually. 23:01 A text without a context is a pretext. 23:03 Now let's first saw text. 23:05 What is the immediate passage saying? 23:09 Then context, what role is the passage 23:12 contributing to the entire story? 23:15 Then wider context, 23:17 what happened before and after the story? 23:21 And then the entire Bible. 23:22 Is the language in the context 23:25 found elsewhere in the scripture, 23:27 like Behold the Lamb of God, why would John say that? 23:31 Because the people standing on the shore 23:33 were Jewish leaders who for centuries 23:36 were involved in sacrificing lambs. 23:39 Paul uses a phrase and I use that 23:42 about the death as asleep. 23:45 The Bible says, 23:46 "We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed." 23:49 Well, what did Jesus understand what that mean? 23:52 When Jesus said, "Lazarus sleeps," 23:54 they thought that Jesus was talking about sleep. 23:57 When the Bible says in John 11 plainly in verse 13, 24:00 "Lazarus is dead." 24:03 So understand the context because you'll walk away 24:06 with things that the Bible doesn't support. 24:08 Build a doctrine not on a fragment 24:12 or a single scripture, but on the context 24:15 of the entire message of the story. 24:17 Amen. Thank you so much. 24:20 What an incredible job, Pastor John, 24:22 "Translations and Interpretations." 24:24 We are going to take a break, we'll be right back. 24:31 Ever wish you could watch 24:33 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 24:35 or share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? 24:38 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com. 24:43 A clean design makes it easy to find the program 24:46 you're looking for. 24:48 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:51 so you can follow along. 24:53 Sharing is easy. 24:54 Just click share 24:55 and choose your favorite social media. 24:57 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 25:07 Welcome back to our study of "Why is Interpretation Needed?" 25:10 We'll pick up with Pastor Ryan on Tuesday's lesson, 25:12 "The Bible and Culture." 25:13 That's right, "The Bible and Culture." 25:15 We've talked a little bit about 25:16 culture in one of our previous lessons. 25:19 But this kind of takes it a little bit a step further, 25:22 and us trying to understand 25:24 how do we balance this concept of culture? 25:28 And how do we use culture? 25:31 Or do we use culture to further the gospel? 25:34 Does it transcend certain cultures 25:35 or is the gospel message 25:37 that we find in the Bible only for particular cultures? 25:39 So that's basically 25:41 what we're talking about right here. 25:42 And I love how this lesson opens up, 25:44 giving us a fine example of this in Acts 17. 25:48 So why don't we go ahead and go to Acts Chapter 17. 25:50 We're going to take our beginning 25:53 here in this particular passage, 25:55 in which we find Paul. 25:57 Paul, of course is in Athens, okay? 25:59 This is in Greece, and if you know anything 26:01 about the Grecian culture, then you know that 26:03 this is a very Hellenistic pagan culture, 26:06 they worship the god of everything, 26:08 very polytheistic, the god of the air, 26:09 the god of the grass, the god of the gold, 26:11 the god of the silver, all these different gods. 26:13 And so Paul is now in Athens, 26:15 and he is just being covered up, 26:17 he's steeped in this pagan culture, 26:20 but at the same time, he's preaching the gospel. 26:23 He's been going around and preaching the gospel. 26:25 In fact, notice verse 16 here, starting in Acts 17:16, 26:29 it says, "Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, 26:32 his spirit was provoked within him 26:34 when he saw that the city was given over to idols. 26:38 Therefore, he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews 26:41 and with the Gentile worshipers and in the marketplace daily 26:45 with those who happen to be there." 26:47 And so he's been preaching all throughout Athens 26:51 and now he's kind of stirred the attention 26:54 of all of the people to the point to now 26:56 they're going to actually bring him before the Areopagus. 27:01 The Areopagus which is basically 27:02 the Chief Counsel of Athens, 27:05 they're going to bring him before the governmental leaders 27:07 and he's going to have to defend himself 27:09 because he's already stirred up the masses 27:12 within this particular culture. 27:14 Notice picking up in verse 22. 27:16 So Paul is about to address this Areopagus, this council, 27:20 and this is what it says. 27:21 "Then Paul stood in the midst of Areopagus and said, 27:23 'Men of Athens I perceived 27:25 that in all things you are very religious for, 27:28 as I was passing through...'" 27:30 I'm gonna pause there, that was a good point there. 27:32 I perceive that you were all very religious. 27:35 And so you know, the question is, 27:37 what type of religion? 27:38 What type of religious person are you? 27:40 You can be very religious, 27:42 but be very wrong in the religious experience 27:44 that you're having, and we want to make sure that 27:46 we're having a genuine religious experience. 27:48 Notice, "Men of Athens, 27:50 I perceived that in all things you were very religious for, 27:52 as I was passing through and considering the objects 27:54 of your worship. 27:56 I even found an altar 27:57 with the inscription to the unknown god." 28:00 And then he goes on to say, 28:02 "Therefore the one whom you worship without knowing, 28:04 him, I proclaim to you." 28:06 He says, "Hey, this unknown God that 28:07 you don't know about, let me inform you, 28:09 let me tell you about this powerful God, 28:11 this Creator God." 28:13 Verse 24, he says, "God, 28:14 who made all the world and everything in it, 28:17 since He is Lord of heaven and earth, 28:19 does not dwell in temples made with hands, 28:22 nor is He worshiped with men's hands, 28:24 as though He needed anything 28:26 since He gave to all life, breath, and all things. 28:30 Now notice verse 26, 28:31 because now we see how this gospel, 28:35 Paul is transcending the gospel 28:37 from the Jewish culture now to this Athenian culture. 28:40 Notice what it says here in verse 26, 28:42 "And He has made from one blood, 28:45 every nation of men 28:47 to dwell on the face of the earth, 28:49 and has determined their preappointed times 28:51 and the boundaries of their dwellings, 28:54 so that they should seek the Lord in hope 28:56 that they might grope for Him," 28:58 that is reach for Him, "search for Him and find Him, 29:01 though He is not far from each of us, 29:04 for in Him we live and we move and we have our being, 29:07 and also some of your own poets have said, 29:10 'For we are also His offspring.'" 29:13 So Paul is showing up, he said, "Look, 29:14 this unknown God that you don't know, 29:16 let me tell you about Him. 29:17 He's the Creator God, He's the one true God." 29:20 And I love the fact that, you know, 29:22 he's speaking to these people for the first time 29:24 that he's never met, he's in a different culture 29:26 that is not like that of the Christian culture. 29:29 But yet he's still calling these people to repent. 29:32 It's powerful to see and notice the response, 29:35 verse 32 of some of these people. 29:36 It says, "And when they heard 29:38 of the resurrection of the dead, 29:39 some mocked, while others said, 29:41 'We will hear you again on this matter.'" 29:43 So some heard, some did not. 29:45 But it brings up the question now as we see the fine example, 29:49 clear example given in scripture, 29:51 is the gospel transcultural? 29:54 Is the Bible transcultural or is this just a Jewish thing? 29:59 Obviously as Christians here in North America, 30:03 and in other parts of the world, 30:04 we see that the gospel has reached the entire world. 30:07 But it still raises some questions 30:09 because some people say, "You know what, 30:11 this particular text, or this particular passage, 30:13 or this particular council given in scripture, 30:15 that's only to that particular culture, 30:17 or that's only that. 30:18 You know, keeping the Sabbath, that's a Jewish thing. 30:21 God didn't really create the Sabbath for all of us, 30:24 for all mankind, it's just a Jewish thing." 30:26 And so we see here that 30:28 when you are considering the Bible and culture, 30:31 we really, really need to put it 30:33 in its proper context, 30:34 we really need to understand the importance 30:36 of finding that happy balance because truth never changes. 30:41 I just want to make that clear, truth... 30:43 While people change, cultures change, 30:45 customs change, truth never changes. 30:48 And we will see very clearly throughout this entire book 30:51 that God has made these councils, 30:53 these principles, 30:54 His way of life for every single person 30:56 under the globe. 30:58 I think of the different biblical example, 31:00 it's not on the same note 31:01 as what we just read in Acts 17, 31:03 but to see that the Word of God 31:05 and God's plan is transcultural, 31:07 that He wants to reach every single person 31:10 with the gospel in every single culture, 31:12 every single part of the globe. 31:14 I think of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, 31:16 you know, I believe that while God made a clear demand 31:19 that Pharaoh let his people go, 31:20 God was reaching for this man's heart. 31:23 He was hoping that through these series of events, 31:25 that He would reach him with the gospel, 31:27 and He was willing to reach him within his culture, 31:29 to establish the truth within his heart. 31:32 I think of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. 31:34 You know, bringing God's people 31:35 into a completely different culture, 31:37 a completely different arena. 31:40 But we still see God reaching for this king's heart 31:42 and for the hearts of the people of Babylon 31:45 with this transcultural gospel, which is very clear. 31:48 The Medes and the Persians are another great example. 31:50 The Romans, as we see that Peter goes into the home 31:53 of the centurion and the Romans, 31:55 and they're pleading, and they're praying together, 31:58 we see that God wants to reach 31:59 every single one of us with the gospel, 32:02 I think of the 12 Ephesian disciples, 32:04 as they were giving their heart to the Lord, 32:06 they allowed the truth of God's Word, 32:08 which is universal, to change them 32:10 because they recognized that 32:11 they too while they weren't Jews, 32:13 were still God's people. 32:15 I think of the wonderful scripture 32:16 in Galatians Chapter 3, that famous series of verses, 32:20 verses 26-29 says, 32:22 "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 32:25 for as many as you were baptized into Christ, 32:27 have put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, 32:31 there is neither slave nor free, 32:33 there is neither male nor female, 32:35 for if you are all one in... 32:37 for you are all one in Christ Jesus, 32:39 and if you are Christ," 32:40 I love this, "then you are Abraham's seed 32:43 and heirs according to the promise." 32:45 We're all spiritual Jews. 32:47 And so that point being made, I just want to make this 32:49 last point in the closing minutes 32:50 that I have here. 32:52 Sometimes it does help us though to remove our mind 32:57 from our own culture and see the truth of God's Word 33:01 through the eyes of a different culture. 33:03 What I mean by this is, you know, 33:04 taking the Israeli culture, 33:07 for example, the Hebrew culture. 33:08 I just want to give an example of Psalm 23, this is powerful. 33:11 You know, for this western mentality, 33:14 through our western lenses we read Psalm 23, you know, 33:17 "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 33:19 He makes me lie down in green pastures, 33:21 He leads me beside the still waters." 33:23 And it goes on, "He leads me, 33:24 He leads me in paths of righteousness for You 33:27 are with me, oh, God." 33:28 We see this beautiful, almost poetic nature of this. 33:31 But when we read it and comprehend it 33:33 from this western cultural mindset, 33:35 we read that and we think of, you know, 33:36 belly deep alfalfa, you know. 33:38 You know, this beautiful open field of 33:41 just beautiful green pastures. 33:42 But it's interesting, when you consider something 33:45 like this through the eyes of the culture 33:47 in which David would have delivered this. 33:50 Green pastures was not belly deep alfalfa. 33:53 Green pastures in that particular culture 33:55 actually existed. 33:56 And in fact, you can go over to Israel right now 33:58 and there's a place south of Israel, 34:00 in fact, south of Jerusalem 34:01 in the southern region of Israel 34:03 called Green Pastures. 34:04 And if you could go out and look at it, 34:06 it's literally this dry, rocky, desolate hillside that 34:10 when you look at it's like, "All I see is rocks," 34:12 but you will see droves and droves 34:14 and flocks and flocks of sheep with their shepherds. 34:16 And it's like, "What are these sheep eating? 34:19 Are they rock eating sheep?" 34:20 You know, it's like, 34:22 what this place actually exists, 34:23 it's called Green Pastures. 34:25 And it's amazing when you consider the truth 34:27 that this shepherd is leading these sheep 34:30 along what appears to be this dry, desolate, 34:32 rocky hillside that has no, you know, no greenery, 34:37 no alfalfa, nothing to eat. 34:39 But yet, if you look at the terrain, 34:41 you will see there's a sprig here, 34:42 there's a sprig there, 34:44 there's a sprig here every so many feet. 34:45 And it's a powerful lesson that when you see, for example, 34:48 Psalm 23, and other passages of scripture through the eyes 34:52 of a particular culture like Israel, 34:54 God is teaching us a powerful lesson 34:55 and in this case, it's that... 34:57 Here's the lesson, Green Pastures, 34:59 the shepherd will get you what you need for right now. 35:02 He will lead you along. He will take care of you today. 35:05 Don't worry about tomorrow 35:07 'cause tomorrow will worry about itself. 35:08 But see the Bible and culture. 35:11 How do we put it in proper perspective? 35:12 Allow God to lead you and to be able to transcend 35:16 this gospel in all cultures. 35:17 Amen. Amen. 35:19 Thank you, Ryan. Wow. 35:20 Mine is "Our Sinful and Fallen Nature." 35:24 And the scripture, I really want to center 35:26 in on is John 12:42-43. 35:30 It says, "Nevertheless, 35:31 among the chief rulers also many believed on Him, 35:35 but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess Him, 35:38 lest they should be put out of the synagogue, 35:42 for they love the praise of men more than the praise of God." 35:47 They'd love to praise the men more than God. 35:49 So the question that is asked here 35:52 in the quarterly is what kept the man 35:55 and this passage from accepting the truth 35:58 of the biblical message? 36:00 It kind of explains it here but sometimes it's really easy, 36:03 Brother Kenny, when we're looking at scripture 36:06 to try to kind of judge other people and say, 36:09 "Oh, man, I don't know, you can see. 36:11 They should have done this or they should have done that." 36:13 But I kind of want to center in today, 36:16 not only talk about answer, 36:17 why did the men in the scripture 36:19 not accept the truth as to maybe 36:21 why we not accept the truth? 36:23 Now some of us as Seventh-day Adventists, 36:25 we kind of see ourselves differently, 36:27 and we feel like, well, we have the truth. 36:30 But there's a lot of things lacking in our church as well. 36:33 And personally, that I want to talk about, 36:35 I've actually listed about seven things. 36:37 So this can include everybody. 36:40 If you're alive and listening to this human being, 36:43 then this is going to include you, right? 36:45 So now, what kept these men... What keeps us from... 36:50 In this passage from accepting the truth of the Bible message? 36:53 One is self preservation or fear. 36:56 It says here, I'm sure some of these guys 36:58 didn't want to lose their high positions, right? 37:01 They didn't want to lose their, maybe their high pay, 37:04 maybe their credibility and their community. 37:07 So I could ask the question is, 37:09 do you think this is a problem today, 37:11 with Christians today, with people today, 37:14 that maybe we reject truth, 37:17 because of self preservation, may be from fear? 37:20 How about religious hypocrisy? 37:22 I don't see any of that today, right? 37:24 Believing one thing and teaching another 37:26 that's kind of what these guys did. 37:27 They heard Jesus and believed it, 37:29 but they taught something else. 37:31 So today there are many pastors, 37:33 for instance, 37:35 who believe in the Seventh-day Sabbath, 37:37 but they won't preach it because they're afraid 37:40 of their positions in their churches, 37:43 and many have. 37:44 Now thankfully, many accepted but many don't. 37:48 So number three, I listed as lack of commitment to truth. 37:53 Other words, needing a spiritual backbone. 37:56 So not being settled in truth, 37:58 but being swayed by every wind of doctrine. 38:01 So men not willing to take a stand for right, 38:04 you and me again, 38:05 we're talking about these guides in the scripture. 38:07 But what about you and made today? 38:09 Where do we stand on some of these things? 38:11 You know, Ellen White makes this 38:13 beautiful statement that says, 38:14 "The greatest want in the world today is men 38:19 who will not be," help me, "bought or sold." 38:22 The greatest one in the world today is 38:25 God is looking for men who will not be bought 38:28 nor sold for the gospel, but those... 38:31 So number four, 38:32 I've kind of grouped these together. 38:34 I hesitated, I thought maybe I should do it separately. 38:38 But I went ahead and grouped them 38:39 together pride/rebellion. 38:43 How does that work? 38:45 No doubt some were not willing to submit to Jesus. 38:48 And we can think about our own selves today 38:50 but in this scriptures, these people, chief leaders, 38:53 it says in the church, 38:54 they were not willing to submit to Jesus 38:56 because He was considered an uneducated layman. 38:59 Well. All right. 39:02 He was considered an uneducated layman. 39:03 So now why are you going to be 39:05 going to the school of the Pharisees 39:07 and listen to an uneducated layman? 39:09 Jesus did not attend 39:10 the theological universities of the day. 39:13 He wasn't, and He wasn't even an ordained Pharisee, right? 39:16 He couldn't even get in that way. 39:18 I have no doubt that 39:19 if Jesus had chosen to come to earth in 2020, 39:23 the same way He came 2,000 years ago, 39:27 He would not be allowed to even teach 39:29 in some of our universities or preach on 39:31 some of our campus churches. 39:33 Why not? 39:34 Because some of the same reasons today, 39:36 pride and selfishness, many members and leaders, 39:39 I'm not talking about just church leaders, 39:40 I'm talking about all of us, leaders, right? 39:43 The word rejected him then and they're rejecting now. 39:46 Many theologians today would, 39:49 don't even believe in the six day creation week. 39:51 They would take issue with Jesus on this, right? 39:53 If Jesus were here today, 39:55 they'd say "What do you know about this? 39:57 You know, because this is the way I see it. 39:59 This is the politically correct way to do it. 40:02 So they would dispute Him on that. 40:04 Some would dispute Him 40:05 on the sixth and seventh commandments 40:07 including same sex marriage and abortion as outdated 40:11 and not relevant in today's society, right? 40:15 Say we pride ourselves today 40:16 on how smart the human race really is. 40:19 And based on what? 40:21 On technological strides, 40:23 but in reality the smarter we appear in man's eyes, 40:26 the dumber we get spiritually. 40:28 Do I need to say that again? 40:30 Smarter we get in man's eyes, 40:32 the dumber we get spiritually, why? 40:34 Because we tend to become too self reliant. 40:37 That's right. Right? 40:39 Become self reliant, but for... 40:41 and rely on our own capabilities 40:43 of life on planet earth. 40:45 When in fact is, we need a savior to save us 40:49 from the destruction that is sure to come. 40:52 Now five, compromise. 40:56 Well, I mean whichever is haven't done it. 40:58 He who is without sin, 41:00 casts the first stone, compromise. 41:02 This is a big one today, 41:04 maybe even bigger than in Jesus' day. 41:06 I doubt the apostles and disciples of Jesus 41:09 could have foreseen the Ten Commandments 41:11 becoming irrelevant 41:13 to the followers of Christ in 2020. 41:15 I mean, constantly, we're doing away, 41:17 chipping away at one and another and another. 41:20 I mean, who would have thought the followers of Christ back 41:23 then the fourth commandment would be replaced, 41:26 at least attempted to be replaced by a theology, 41:30 by a Christian church, an early Christian church, 41:32 and to change it from Saturday to Sunday. 41:35 Again, we mentioned the other, but who would have thought that 41:38 tradition from this church or who would have thought, 41:41 I'll make a jump to this, same sex marriage again, 41:43 and abortion would become law of the land. 41:46 Now that's one thing, 41:47 but it would be supported by church leaders 41:49 and acceptable lifestyle in many Christian churches. 41:53 I hope that's not your church or my church, 41:55 I know it's not our church 41:57 'cause Pastor John wouldn't allow it. 41:58 That's right. So thank you, Pastor John. 42:01 Many Christian schools 42:02 and health institutions have compromised 42:05 their mission in exchange 42:06 for financial support of the government. 42:09 We're talking about compromise right here for that. 42:11 Not any names, but think about it, 42:13 we have a mission and the reason 42:15 for the health message is to reach the world 42:17 and teach them about Jesus and Him crucified, 42:19 and His soon coming, 42:21 but sometimes we set up these institutions 42:24 and we get away from God, we get away from the Bible, 42:27 because we don't get enough financial aid 42:29 if we don't compromise and do as the government 42:34 would have us to do. 42:36 All of the above 42:38 is not only a compromise to God's Word, 42:41 I wrote down, 42:42 it's open rebellion to God's Ten Commandment laws. 42:45 Now sixth, you hit on culture. 42:47 So I put culture and I slash tradition. 42:50 Satan has seduced many of our members 42:53 through culture, and or tradition, 42:55 placing them above the Word of God 42:57 when it comes to action, dress, lifestyle, 43:00 religion, politics, racial bigotry, 43:03 and in many churches as late as the 1960s, 43:07 many Christian churches 43:08 would not allow blacks to worship with them 43:11 on a given Saturday or Sunday. 43:13 Isn't that amazing? 43:15 Christian, we're a Christian churches, 43:17 Christ like, to be Christ like, to follow Jesus. 43:20 But what do we do? Compromise, because why? 43:24 Politics, it's not politically correct. 43:26 Number seven, politics. 43:28 In the last three years, 43:29 isn't that interesting, it just came up with it. 43:31 Isn't it interesting in the last three years, 43:33 I've seen more division in the church over politics 43:36 than on almost anything else. 43:39 I say more posts on Facebook and Twitter and Social Media, 43:42 from church members about their political beliefs 43:45 than they do about their beliefs in Jesus, 43:47 their religious beliefs. 43:49 I'm ashamed to say that 43:50 I've even seen numerous members, 43:52 using Facebook to encourage 43:54 other members to vote for politicians 43:56 who endorse same sex marriage and abortion and justifying it 44:00 because they hate the other side. 44:03 This would be like church members 44:04 voting in favor of a politician ready to pass 44:08 a national Sunday law because we justify it 44:11 'cause we don't like the other side. 44:12 Two wrongs don't make right. 44:14 My thing is why should we spend so much time promote... 44:18 Why shouldn't we be spending more time 44:20 promoting Jesus on social media than political sides? 44:23 Man's governments will always be corrupt. 44:27 Why fall into this trap that the devil has for us 44:30 of campaigning for either side. 44:32 It's a huge distraction by the devil to take us away 44:36 from the Word of God. 44:37 So self-preservation, religious hypocrisy, 44:41 lack of commitment to truth, 44:43 pride, rebellion, compromise, culture, politics, 44:47 and wanting to praise a man is nothing new, 44:50 it started in heaven, right? 44:52 Satan said, "I shall be like the Most High," right? 44:56 I shall be. Are we all guilty of this? 44:58 Yes, at times we are. 45:00 I'm running out of time, 45:01 I had a lot more but here's the good news. 45:03 I'm gonna go down to the good news. 45:05 There's only one way to overcome our sinful nature. 45:08 And that is we accept Jesus Christ 45:10 as Lord and Savior of our lives. 45:12 We come to the foot of the cross, 45:14 we confess our sins, He is faithful 45:16 and just to forgive us from our sins, 45:18 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 45:20 Amen. Amen. 45:21 Praise the Lord. 45:23 I believe he hit it on the head, don't you? 45:25 We could probably wrap it up 45:26 and we'd have plenty of food for thought. 45:27 Thank you for that. 45:29 Yeah, it makes us think, doesn't it? 45:30 In these lessons, you know, we've covered 45:32 quite a few different areas right here, 45:34 but yet they've all come together. 45:36 And it has to do with mine, you know, 45:38 we're on lesson number six, certainly on Thursday. 45:40 Why Interpretation is Important? 45:43 Well, it's been covered several different times, 45:45 but it'd be good I guess, 45:46 I assumed to go over it once again and be reminded. 45:49 For instance, if somebody asked you 45:51 a question right now, as a Christian, 45:53 what's the most important question 45:55 that the Bible deals with? 45:57 I got a feeling we'd get quite a few different answers. 46:00 But probably most of us as Christians we might have, 46:02 it might have something to do with the plan of salvation. 46:05 It may be of Lord, what must I do to be saved? 46:09 You know, because you look 46:11 a lot of the other issues that may not be that which, 46:13 you know, it centers our eternal salvation. 46:15 But if we ask ourselves that question, 46:17 what would be, you know, our response to that? 46:19 We ask the question, then we look for a response. 46:21 And I asked the same question to myself, 46:23 "Lord, what must I do to be saved? 46:25 What is the importance 46:27 of the interpretation of scripture? 46:28 How important really is it?" It's life and death. 46:31 So the whole issue we've been talking about here, 46:33 if everyone that I've heard here, 46:34 you really put it on the line, 46:36 you may not have said it, but it's life and death issue, 46:38 that we interpret scripture the way 46:40 that it's supposed to be interpreted. 46:42 What really matters if you think about it, 46:45 from the very beginning of time or in our own personal life, 46:49 to the very end of life what really matters? 46:54 Well, Jesus said it like this in Matthew 16:26. 46:57 He made it very clear. 46:58 He said, "What should a man profit," 47:00 if he should what? 47:02 "Gain the whole world and lose his own soul, 47:05 or what shall a man..." 47:07 Notice this one? 47:08 What shall a man give in exchange for," what? 47:11 "For his soul." 47:13 I've thought about that question. 47:14 I just can't come up with something. 47:16 You know, I mean, it's pretty heavy duty 47:17 and you may 47:19 and this has ever been the ambition, 47:22 you know, the plot of the enemy is to get a man to think down 47:26 to what are you going to give in exchange for your soul? 47:29 What is it that's really important to us? 47:31 The enemy says, "I'll give you that thing, 47:32 whatever it might be to pull you away from Christ." 47:34 Proper interpretation of scripture, 47:36 "What shall a man give for exchange for his soul?" 47:39 It's, to me it's a question 47:42 where there's no adequate answer. 47:46 I maybe wrong with that, somebody would come up, 47:48 naturally come up with thing 47:50 but there's no real adequate answer. 47:51 What would you give in exchange for your soul? 47:53 So why is the interpretation important? 47:56 That's what this whole lesson is about. 47:58 Why is it important? 47:59 What if we interpret the Bible in a wrong way? 48:03 Maybe that's simple to put it, you know, what's so important, 48:06 why should we inter... 48:07 What if we interpreted it the wrong way? 48:10 There's our life depended upon how we interpret scripture. 48:13 You know, it's important that 48:15 we come up with the right answers, 48:17 or is it, it's very important if we come up 48:20 with false interpretations of scripture. 48:22 So salvation certainly has something to do with it, 48:25 life and death issue. 48:27 John 7:17 says this, I like this. 48:29 It says, "If any man will do," what? 48:32 "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, 48:38 whether it be of God or whether it be," what? 48:40 "That I speak of myself?" 48:42 So notice that there's something 48:43 here very important, if any man will do His will. 48:45 How can I know what's been said here? 48:47 How can I know if this scripture, 48:49 if I'm reading it, if it's correct, 48:50 and if it's right? 48:52 Well, John says, he says, "If any man will do His will, 48:55 he shall know of the doctrines." 48:57 So it's not something God has put out there 48:59 that's what's impossible for us to figure out. 49:02 You will know the will, but if you look at that, 49:05 there to me is a prerequisite here, right? 49:08 If any man will, 49:09 if any man another translation says, 49:11 if a man wishes, you have to wish 49:13 or you have to want, right to begin with. 49:16 But the other is, if you ask, 49:18 "Lord, I want to know what truth is. 49:20 I want to receive more light, the more fresh light, 49:23 whatever it might be." 49:24 The seeker of this is the seeker 49:27 must be willing to follow that light. 49:30 Would that be true? 49:31 I mean, why ask for more light 49:32 if you're not willing, People say, 49:34 "I'm praying for light all the time." 49:35 You know, I want to know God's will 49:37 and then you present God's will, 49:38 first of all, God's will for each one of us 49:40 is to be saved in the kingdom. 49:42 But then, are we willing to accept that 49:45 light as God shines that light upon our path. 49:48 After all, in John 8:12, 49:50 Jesus simply says, whoo, I am what? 49:53 "I am the light of the world." 49:56 Are we willing to accept Christ? 49:58 I had somebody put a text or something one time on there. 50:00 And they simply said, "You know what? 50:02 There's a lot more important things 50:03 to talk about that things that might separate us, 50:05 you know, in the Word of God, 50:07 we need to talk more about Jesus. 50:10 You know, and I love that. 50:11 And I'd like to address that someday 50:13 is this and I will, is to talk more about Jesus 50:15 because that's exactly what we've been doing here. 50:19 We've been talking about Jesus' 50:21 approach to the interpretation of scripture. 50:23 We've been talking about the life of Jesus Christ. 50:26 We've been talking about what He talked about. 50:28 And what He related, what He lived out in His life. 50:32 So that is very, very important. 50:33 Now it might come to touchy subjects 50:38 and then that's where people get a little squeamish, 50:39 you know, they don't want to follow that. 50:42 So maybe the big question for us today is what? 50:46 And I've heard it over, what is truth? 50:49 Wouldn't that be the big punch? 50:50 Yeah. What is truth? 50:53 That's a common subject matter of, 50:56 it's complicated to many people 50:58 because there are so many different positions to take. 51:02 Why is that? 51:04 You know, the Bible's, you know, 51:05 the Bible gives a very clear what the position of, you know, 51:09 the Word of God is on different subject 51:11 that people say there's just so many here, 51:12 I can't quite figure it out. 51:14 Why? 51:16 Why is it that they can't figure it out? 51:18 Could it be that they don't want it, number one? 51:20 Could it be because you mentioned here, 51:22 it might change their life, 51:23 it might change their perspective, 51:25 it might change their job. 51:26 It might change a lot of things in our life, 51:27 they're not really ready for that change. 51:30 And then this, well, 51:31 we just can't figure out what truth is. 51:33 It becomes an excuse for them, not having any part 51:36 or any part of a Christian home, 51:39 or accepting Christ as their personal Savior. 51:41 And they just leave the whole ball of wax we'd say. 51:44 They leave it and they just go out 51:45 'cause they say we can't figure it out anymore. 51:47 But I don't believe that God would give us anything 51:49 that we can't figure out right, line upon line, 51:51 precept upon precept, praise God for that. 51:54 Theological error. 51:57 How long has theological error's been with us? 51:59 Well, maybe from the beginning, 52:03 I'll just say that it has always been in churches. 52:06 It's always been in the church. 52:08 And, you know, how did it come into the church? 52:11 Simply by the false interpretation of scripture. 52:15 That's how it came in. And sometime because, whoo! 52:19 Some of us who are watchmen on the walls of Zion 52:22 haven't given that trumpet a certain sound. 52:25 Yeah. 52:26 There's nothing more irritating, 52:28 I think, it doesn't bother me 52:29 'cause my ears not that good at music. 52:31 But I understand that people who have good ears 52:33 and they're really in tune with thing, 52:34 when someone's flat and someone is sharp, it hurts. 52:39 Am I okay to saying that? 52:40 It hurts their ears, it might not hurt mine, 52:43 I'll just say "Well, I don't sound quite right." 52:44 But people who really got it tuned up, 52:46 you know, it hurts their ears. 52:49 And so when I hear things 52:50 that are untruth in scripture, it hurts. 52:52 That's right. 52:54 It hurts the mind, it hurts the ears, 52:56 not just because of who's right and who's wrong, 52:58 it's because it's leading someone down the wrong path. 53:02 And then these are life and death issues. 53:05 Our lesson asks the question 53:07 is how clear understanding of scripture... 53:09 How important is it? I wish we had time, we don't. 53:12 In Nehemiah, if we go to Nehemiah Chapter 8, 53:14 I'm getting to the very first question 53:16 of the lesson, isn't it sad? 53:17 It's time to move out. 53:19 But you know what if you've read 53:20 the Book of Nehemiah Chapter 8, what happened? 53:22 Your interpretation of scripture. 53:24 Notice, what it says right there. 53:26 And all the people gathered together. 53:27 I'm looking for the churches 53:28 willing to do what these people did. 53:30 They came together, and they listened 53:32 to the Word being read to them five and six hours at a whack. 53:36 Now, did that mean they just read the Word of God? 53:38 All the people come out, 53:40 all of them got excited in the street, 53:41 and they said, "We want to hear the Word. 53:43 Praise God. 53:45 I'd like to hear somebody come up and say 53:46 "I want to hear the Word today." 53:47 Amen. In fact the people did that. 53:49 And they were willing to stay in there for hours 53:51 but what happened with it? 53:52 It just wasn't put out there and read to them. 53:55 They would read for a little while 53:56 whether be an hour or two, 53:58 whatever it might be and then they would stop, 54:00 and then the interpretation, 54:02 right interpretation of the scripture 54:03 made by the Levites, whatever, would be given to the people 54:06 so that they could fully do what? 54:08 They could certainly understand it. 54:10 In verse 8 there, if you read Nehemiah 8, 54:13 read verses 1-3, and then verse 8 54:16 is just really powerful there in Nehemiah. 54:18 It says, "So they read in the book, 54:21 the law of God," I like that, "distinctly and gave the sense 54:26 and cause them to understand the reading." 54:31 You know, a guy come out to church one day and he said, 54:33 "Wasn't that one of the best sermons 54:35 you ever heard?" 54:36 Now wasn't me preaching, was somebody else. 54:39 And I said, "Well, I..." That was pretty deep. 54:42 It's hard for me to understand it. 54:43 You know, I didn't want to discourage 54:44 and I said, "Well, what did he say? 54:46 What did you gather from this?" 54:48 He said, "You know what, I'm not really sure. 54:50 I'm not really sure what he said. 54:52 But he said it was so deep." 54:54 I just said, "You know, give me simple, 54:56 plain teachings of Jesus Christ. 54:58 It's something that this poor little mind 54:59 can comprehend and understand 55:01 something that truth will come in 55:03 and lie in my heart, in my life, 55:04 that will transform me into the image of Jesus. 55:07 That's my only hope. That's your only hope today. 55:09 That's our only encouragement, is let truth come in. 55:11 It is important about 55:13 the interpretation of scripture. 55:14 And you've heard from the panel here, 55:15 and given some good ideas on how that's accomplished, 55:18 you know, again, accept that God's in control 55:20 and He said, "I'm coming back." 55:22 Just believe that and be ready. Amen. 55:24 Thank you so much, Pastor Kenny. 55:25 What an incredible study. 55:27 The Word of God has life giving power, 55:30 because it is inspired by God Himself. 55:33 Want to give each one of you a moment 55:34 to share something about the lesson, Pastor John. 55:36 Well, "Interpretation and Understanding," 55:38 I think that's what mine was. 55:40 But the point is because we don't accept it, 55:44 it doesn't mean that it's not required. 55:46 Come on. It's good. 55:47 Amen. 55:49 You know, that reflecting on this just overall study 55:52 of what we're talking about how to interpret scripture, 55:54 you know, 55:55 I just want to be like one of those sheep in Psalm 23. 56:00 I just want to be like one of those sheep 56:02 right now probably that's in the Naqab desert, 56:04 that southern region of Israel that's out there grazing 56:07 on this rocky hillside 56:08 that seems like there's nothing there. 56:10 But depending on the shepherd to lead them 56:12 every way would help me to follow You. 56:15 Amen. Amen. Good. 56:17 Mine was "Our Sinful and Fallen Nature." 56:20 All I want to leave you with is this, John, 56:22 because He lives, I can face tomorrow. 56:25 Amen. Amen. 56:27 Isn't that wonderful? Praise God, that is good. 56:29 I found a little article in Message to Young People 260, 56:32 notice it, and I think it fits in what was said here. 56:35 "Do not read the word 56:36 in the light of a former opinion, 56:39 but with a mind free from prejudice. 56:42 Search it carefully and prayerfully. 56:45 Do not try to make," 56:46 notice this, "the Word fit your opinion." 56:50 Make it what? "Make opinions fit the Word." 56:54 Amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. 56:55 Thank you all so much 56:57 for your study of the Word of God. 56:58 Pastor Kenny, Pastor Danny, we can say. 57:00 Pastor Ryan and Pastor John, thank you for your study. 57:03 We're so glad that you joined us today 57:06 as well for this study. 57:07 It is important to understand, the Bible is inspired 57:10 but it is just as equally important 57:12 to understand 57:14 how to understand the Word of God, 57:15 and how to interpret the Word of God. 57:18 I want to read a passage from that same section, 57:21 Pastor Kenny, Messages to Young People, 57:24 page 260. 57:25 It's just before the passage that you read. 57:28 "In your study of the Word lay at the door of investigation 57:32 your preconceived opinions, 57:34 and your hereditary and cultivated ideas. 57:37 You will never reach the truth if you studied the scriptures 57:41 to vindicate your own ideas. 57:44 Leave these at the door and with a contrite heart 57:48 go into hear what the Lord has to say to you." 57:51 So that's our appeal to you from 3ABN to you at home, 57:55 leave your preconceived opinions. 57:57 We want to do the same thing at the door 58:00 and go in to hear what the Lord has to say 58:02 to you through His Word. 58:04 Join us next week 58:05 as we continue our study with lesson number seven, 58:08 Language, Text and Context. |
Revised 2020-05-07