3 Keys to Understanding the Bible
Intro: Talk about the Bible…
66 different books
40 different authors
written over 1500 years
Written in at least 3 different original languages
books of history, prophecy, poetry and letters.
And we are supposed to read it and apply it to our modern, everyday lives. This is not always a simple task.
Try this one on for size…
Luke 16:1-9
Jesus told this story to his disciples: “A rich man hired a manager to handle his affairs, but soon a rumor went around that the manager was thoroughly dishonest. 2 So his employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about your stealing from me? Get your report in order, because you are going to be dismissed.’
3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? I’m through here, and I don’t have the strength to go out and dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 I know just the thing! And then I’ll have plenty of friends to take care of me when I leave!’
5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him eight hundred gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Tear up that bill and write another one for four hundred gallons.*’
7 “ ‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take your bill and replace it with one for only eight hundred bushels.*’
8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the citizens of this world are more shrewd than the godly are. 9 I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven.
Does this mean we should be dishonest about how we deal with others? With money? Does it mean that we should do our very best to get what we need at the expense of others… not to mention our own integrity?
Absolutely not! When we read this passage of scripture we must take look for at least three things…
1. Content – What does it say… not just at first glance, but what does it really say.
3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? I’m through here, and I don’t have the strength to go out and dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 I know just the thing! And then I’ll have plenty of friends to take care of me when I leave!’
Jesus is not holding up this dishonest man as an example… first Jesus exposes the primary goal of this guy… His primary goal is to take care of Number 1 without any regard to how it impacts those around him. His dishonesty, laziness and pride demand that he do something to meet his needs.
And it is true that the citizens of this world are more shrewd than the godly are. 9 I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven.
Then Jesus comes to part of his central point in sharing this story… he points out that those who don’t have a relationship with him, citizens of the world, are good at taking care of what they see as their number one priority… themselves. Jesus is saying that we, as godly people, should act intelligently in how we strive to meet our number 1 goal… which is supposed to be growing in the Lord, sharing the good news of Jesus love and grace, and making a difference in our world… which is a matter of stewardship.
But as important as content is, context is also super important.
I mean, why would Jesus share such a negative example when he could share an example of someone doing the right thing. We would not have the answer to this unless we consider the context.
2. Context – How does what we are reading fit with the stuff before and after it… and how does it fit with the whole message of the scripture?
For this passage that we are using, what happened before is not as important as what is written afterward.
Luke 16:10-15
10 “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s money, why should you be trusted with money of your own?
13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, naturally scoffed at all this. 15 Then he said to them, “You like to look good in public, but God knows your evil hearts. What this world honors is an abomination in the sight of God.
As Jesus is taking about stewardship, taking care of what God has given us, he is also addressing the Pharisees and the many others he would have attracted who were very much like the dishonest manager in the story he told.
Not only that, but when we consider the full context of this story, the point becomes even stronger… not only does Jesus say that God should be smart about what God has given them, but he communicates the truth that if we are not good stewards of the little things… earthly wealth, talents, and abilities… we should not expect to see God use us in the really important areas… the changing of people lives, the revival of a communities love for God.
You see, God desires to use each of us, but he and his goals are supposed to be the most important things in our lives. And we learn this important truth from this passage when we take in the whole message, not just the first 9 verses.
Yet there is one more important component of understanding the Bible. Clarity… if we simple stop where we have, we may be left with a sense of confusion… asking “where am I in all this… I have nice things, does that mean I love money and can’t be used by God?” Or a person may fall into the line of thought that says that since they don’t have much that they are in a better place then the person that has more wealth then they do. To address those issue we need clarity.
3. Clarity – What is it that we need for this to become clear to us?
First, we need to be willing to take time to study and consider with the word is saying to us as individuals.
2 Tim 2:15
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
What makes sense in your own mind?
What have you learned in church or bible study about this issue?
What does scripture say about this issue in other places?
Remember, what the scripture says is the bottom line… but you must make sure to have done your homework in some different areas.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit brings clarity to the word
1 Cor 2:12
12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
Put simply… when you read the word, you need to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to make it clear to you. Sometimes that happens as you read… sometimes that happens as you think about what you read… sometimes the moment of clarity comes a couple of weeks later. Regardless of when it comes, it come at just the right time
Call to Action: The truth is that few of us have dug into the word using these three keys. We simply open to a page and read a paragraph or two… much of the time we close the Bible more confused then when we opened it… we missed the content, the context and have little clarity on what God is saying to us through his word. If you want to see a change in your life, begin to read his word on purpose… don’t just open it and read somewhere for everyday reading or study. I would suggest that you begin with a book like Phillipians or Colosians, and read 15 or 20 verses and then consider the content, write down your thoughts and questions… maybe discuss it with a friend or your spouse… ask your Pastor about it… then pick up the reading the next day… keep a journal of your thoughts and what you learn. You will be amazed at how God works in your life.
