SESSION #7 – THE NEED TO INTERPRET:
“Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her.” (Proverbs 4:5-8).
In OBSERVATION, we asked the question, “What do I see?”
In INTERPRETATION, we are going to ask the question, “What does it mean?”
“It’s not the things I don’t understand in the Bible that bother me. It’s the things I do understand.” (Mark Twain).
2 TIMOTHY 2:15 – A WORD STUDY:
“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing (rightly handling and skillfully teaching) the Word of Truth.” (Amplified Bible).
Dividing – (Strong’s #3718) – orthotomeo – to make a straight cut, to dissect (expound) correctly (the divine message)
STRANGER THAN FICTION: A TRUE STORY:
“A young couple from another church came to one of our assistant pastors for counseling about marital problems they started having soon after their wedding. After just a few minutes of interviewing the two, he could see they were miles apart in tastes, ideas, and opinions. “What made the two of you get married?” he asked.
“A sermon our pastor preached on Joshua conquering Jericho.”
“What did that have to do with getting married?”
“Well,” explained the husband, “Joshua and his army claimed Jericho, marched around it seven times, and the walls fell down. Our pastor told us that if we trusted God, claimed a certain young girl and marched around her seven times, the walls of her heart would collapse, and she would be willing to marry. So I did it, and we got married.”
Our assistant pastor stared in disbelief. Was this man putting him on? No, indeed. In fact, several couples in that particular church had gotten married on the same basis after hearing the same sermon. This amazing story illustrations that first of all people can become extremely confused on what the Bible means and what to do about it; and second, the interpretation and application of Scripture is crucial to life decisions.” (John MacArthur, How to Get the Most from God’s Word)
Exegesis - to get out of the text the original author’s intended meaning
Hermeneutics - to hear that same meaning in the variety of new or different contexts of our own day (the science of Bible interpretation)
Basic errors to avoid to escape faulty hermeneutics:
1. Don’t try to make a point at the price of proper interpretation (see story above)
2. Don’t spiritualize or allegorize Scripture.
(allegorical language in the Bible is usually fairly obvious – ie. Jesus the Lamb)
THE AIM OF GOOD INTERPRETATION:
“The aim of good interpretation is not uniqueness. One is not trying to discover what no one else has seen before. The aim of good interpretation is simple: to get at the “plain meaning of the text.” (Fee & Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth)
Unique interpretations are usually wrong.
WHY IS THERE THE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO INTERPRET?
1. THE READER AS AN INTERPRETER:
Every reader is at the same time an interpreter. We bring to the text all that we are, with all of our experiences, culture, and prior understandings of words and ideas. These are called presuppositions. Faulty presuppositions lead to faulty interpretation. You can’t just READ and DO. You must interpret what you read before applying it.
2. THE NATURE OF SCRIPTURE:
“The Bible is the Word of God given in the words of (people) in history.”
(Professor George Ladd)
Because the Bible is God’s Word, it has eternal relevance.
It speaks to all humankind, in every age and in every culture.
Because it is God’s Word, we must listen – and obey.
But because God chose to speak the word through human minds in history, every book in the Bible also has historical particularity; each document is conditioned by the language, time, and culture in which it was originally written.
Interpretation of the Bible is demanded by the tension that exists between the eternal relevance and the historical particularity of the Scriptures.
(a) The reader must hear the Word the original hearers heard, to try to understand what was said to them back then and there.
(b) The reader must learn to hear that same Word in the here and now.
(c) This will naturally lead us to our final step of APPLICATION.
When we come to the Scriptures, God intends for us to understand what He has said.
The Bible is a REVELATION, not a RIDDLE.
God’s Word is God’s will, and God desires for us to know His will for our lives!
SESSION #8 – STEP THREE - APPLICATION: ITS VALUE:
“Application is the most neglected yet the most needed stage in the process (of Bible study)...The Bible was not written to satisfy your curiousity. It was written to transform your life.” (Howard Hendricks)
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit – but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” (Matthew 7:24-27, The Message)
1. When we build our lives on the Word, we are building on a solid foundation.
“Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but; letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God – the free life! - even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain, but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.” (James 1:22-25, The Message)
2. When we are doers of the Word, God will bless us.
Ghandi said once, “I like your Christ, but I don’t like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.”
Why? Because of hypocrisy! Christians who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk!
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments Is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:3-6)
1. If we keep His commandments, it shows that we really know God.
2. If we say we know God, but don’t keep His commandments, we are liars.
3. If we keep His word, His love is perfected (made complete) in us.
4. If we keep His word, we know that we are really in Him.
5. If we say we abide in Him, we should walk just as Jesus walked.
FOUR SUBSTITUTES FOR APPLICATION:
1. SUBSTITUTING INTERPRETATION FOR APPLICATION:
- it is much easier to settle for knowledge instead of experience.
- the Bible teaches however that once you learn the truth, the ball is in your court
- we have a responsibility to put the Word into action
“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:21-23)
2. SUBSTITUTING SUPERFICIAL OBEDIENCE FOR REAL LIFE-CHANGE:
- it’s often easier to clean up areas of our life that we want to, then to deal with those areas that God and His Word are putting the finger on!
- God says “Stop watching those R rated movies!” We say, “I will fast more!”
3 SUBSTITUTING RATIONALIZATION FOR REPENTANCE:
- instead of repenting of sin, people rationalize it
- when people get convicted, they think of other people who really need this word
- the deceptive trap: “Well, I may sin, but at least I’m not as bad as so-and-so!”
4. SUBSTITUTING AN EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR A DECISION:
- God doesn’t just want to give us goose-bumps!
- the purpose of the preached Word of God is not to make you feel better!
- the purpose of preaching is to make you feel worse, so you can be better!
“Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet. Tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Isaiah 58:1)
- when we leave a church service, we should ask ourselves “How can I apply that?”
- instead of saying, “Good word, pastor!” Say, “I’m going to apply it by…”
“When you look in the mirror (the Word) and see that your face is dirty (there is sin in your life), your hair needs to be combed, and your teeth need to be brushed, yet you walk away and do nothing – that’s exactly what you do every time you study the Word of God but are not changed by it.” (Hendricks)
“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed by what he does.” (James 1:25)
SESSION #9 – FOUR STEPS AND NINE QUESTIONS IN APPLICATION:
FOUR STEPS IN APPLICATION:
“Many Christians are like poor photographs – overexposed and underdeveloped.” (Howard Hendricks)
1. KNOW:
If you want to apply the Bible, you need to know two things:
1. Know the Text – what is the interpretation of the Biblical text?
2. Know Yourself – your assets and liabilities
(your assets will give you confidence, your liabilities will give you faith)
(your assets tell you what God has done in you, liabilities what He needs to do)
2. RELATE:
Once you know the truth of the Word, you can relate it to your experience:
- God’s Word will positively affect your relationships with yourself (self-esteem), your family, your church, your workplace, your community, and ultimately, God
A New Relationship with God - He’s now our Father, Saviour & Comforter
A New Relationship with Yourself - We are well-beloved children of God!
A New Relationship to Others - They are people God wants us to love
A New Relationship to the Enemy - We now have authority over Satan and sin!
1. The Word exposes our sin – rebuking and correcting us
2. The Word gives us God’s promises – what we can expect from God
3. The Word gives us God’s commands – conditions to meet
4. The Word gives us examples to follow – in the lives of the heroes of faith
3. MEDITATE:
“True meditation is pondering the truth with a view to letting it help and readjust our lives.” (Hendricks).
- meditation and memorization of Scripture keeps us from sin
4. PRACTICE:
- the ultimate goal of Bible study is to practice the truth.
“Scripture was written not to fatten geese, but to train athletes and equip soldiers for the realities of life.” (Hendricks).
- reading the Bible is nourishing our spirit with spiritual food (Matthew 4:4)
- obeying the Word is spiritual exercise – food transformed into energy
A STORY FROM THE LIFE OF JESUS: “I must be about my Father’s business!”
“Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:46-49).
NINE QUESTIONS TO ASK IN APPLICATION:
USE THE S.P.A.C.E. P.E.T.S. ACROSTIC
Asks the question: Is there any…
S SIN TO CONFESS?
Do I have to make a change?
(The Bible gives us the standard of what is right and what is wrong (sin)
P PROMISE TO CLAIM?
Is it a universal promise? Is there a condition to meet? Have I met it?
(God’s promises are made by a Person who does not lie, and will fulfill them)
A ATTITUDE TO CHANGE?
Am I willing to work on a negative attitude and build toward a positive one?
(God wants us to have the mind (attitude) of Christ in all things)
C COMMAND TO OBEY?
Am I willing to do it, no matter how I feel?
(“95% of the will of God is revealed in the commands of Scripture. If you spend your time attending to those, you won’t have much trouble working out the other 5%“)
E EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW?
Is it a positive example for me to copy, or a negative one to avoid?
(This is why much of the Bible is biographical – helps the truth come alive)
P PRAYER TO PRAY?
Is there anything I need to pray back to God?
(There are many examples of praying saints in the Scriptures)
E ERROR TO AVOID?
Is there any problem that I should be alert to, or beware of?
(The Bible shows us errors in doctrine and in our thinking for us to avoid)
T TRUTH TO BELIEVE?
What new things can I learn about God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit or other Biblical teachings?
S SOMETHING TO PRAISE GOD FOR?
Is there something here I can be thankful for?
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
Bibliography: “Living by the Book” by William and Howard Hendricks.
