Hope Sabbath School Lesson 6 Why is Interpretation Needed

[Music] [Applause] [Applause] welcome to Hope Sabbath school an in-depth interactive study of the Word of God I'm excited about this series on how to interpret the Bible today why is interpretation needed it's been a great series if you've missed any so far go to our website hope tv.org / hope SS can watch the whole series you can download the outlines that we use in our study you can download the song sheet music mp3 file lots of great resources by the way if you haven't yet downloaded our app you can download the hope Channel app from the App Store and you can look at different languages if you'd like to watch them you can choose to watch programs at any time of the day it's an awesome app being used in over 220 countries around the world one last resources was studying the Bible go to Hope Bible study org for more Bible study resources it's so exciting what God's doing and today why is interpretation needed I'm glad you're with us and team it's good to be together again isn't it I enjoyed the the study so far in this series and I'm praying that God would bless in amazing ways we're glad you're part of our hope service school family here's just a few emails that have come in recently from William in Kenya Kenya he writes and he says I'm happy to let you know that I follow Hope Sabbath school every week I was baptized a little less than a year ago after accepting Jesus as my savior and I learned about Jesus through hope service goal that's why we do what we do he says big thank to you god bless you god bless you and God be with you well William you brought joy to our hands I jumped up and down because through Hope Sabbath school you learned about Jesus and I'm praying William that you would tell many people that Jesus loves them with an immeasurable and unfailing love here's a note from Peter in South Sudan and he says I'm very excited with hope Sabbath School on hope Channel he says it's a powerful discussion and the lessons are teaching me to work with my class members in our church I'd like to thank you for your sacrifice to people around the world is it a sacrifice to be part of the team it's a privilege isn't it yes it's a privilege we have challenges to reach out to people in villages because we have war in our country South Sudan please pray for us well Peter we want to remember you in our prayers but you go out to those villages you tell people that Jesus loves them with an immeasurable and unfailing love would led you're part of our Hope sabbath-school family here's another note this one's from a donor and the donor says thank you hope sabbath-school you bless my life more than you'll ever know that's from North Carolina and a gift from 50 dollars to help herb Sabbath school we're donors supported ministry thank you not only to the North Carolina donor but each one of you for being part of this great miracle of God here's one final or no we're good to go one from Lyceus ah I think I said that right but I don't speak Fujian it's from Fiji and Lyceus ah says I thank Almighty God for you're young and energetic witness I'm responsible in our small church plant for Sabbath school and every Sabbath morning I find hope Sabbath school a great resource in preparing I adopt many ideas from your interactive study to help in my class in Fiji it's our prayer that God will continue to bless you hope one day if God allows time I can pay a visit to your studio well we would be delighted to have you bula i think is what we would greet you with from Fiji and we're glad that you're part of our hopes Abba school family one last note from Fay who is from the UK United Kingdom working in Saudi Arabia and faces just a quick note of thanks for your commitment to teaching the Word of God I'm working in Saudi Arabia originally from the United Kingdom and hope Sabbath school is one of the highlights of my Sabbath there was one sad but when I had no Wi-Fi and I couldn't watch the following Sabbath I heard the theme song and I moved I wanted to hug the screen I was and am so grateful for hope Sabbath school for the scripture songs which I often start singing in the classroom all of a sudden is like bubbles up into my mind during the day thank you for this ministry for all of us who have no church those housebound and those searching for God praise God that we can encourage you there Faye in Saudi Arabia god bless you keep you close to Jesus isn't encouraging to hear from folks a physical members around the world we know of 220 plus countries that are accessing our programming and we're just glad you're part of our hopes Abba school family right now we need you to help us sing I know some of you think they don't sing that well well we're not a choir we're just a group of Christians studying the Bible together right and they actually would sound better if you'd sing with us our scripture song is taken from Colossians chapter 3 verse 16 there the Apostle Paul speaking to Christians not only in kalasa but also in in the rest of the world including us he says let the word of Christ dwell in you let the word of Christ find a home in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another so that's what we want to do let's sing our song together [Music] you [Music] teaching everyone yes [Music] teaching and one [Music] I love that promise let the word of Christ find a home in you and that's what we want not just to know about the Bible but to know the word and not to just know about Jesus the Living Word but to know him personally as our Savior whom to know is life eternal let's pray as we study why interpretation is needed that the Holy Spirit would be our teacher father in heaven thank you that your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path and we understand that that interpretation is needed may your Holy Spirit be our teacher today and thank you that we can interact and learn together we thank you for your blessing in Jesus name Amen amen as we begin our study I'd like to go to a well-known story right at the end of Gaza the Gospel of Luke Luke's the only one that records it in Luke chapter 24 the story is of two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus one of them had his name his name Cleophus the other unnamed but they're talking and discouraged because they thought that Jesus was the Messiah but now he's dead and it's the third day and then you remember what happens Jesus a stranger comes alongside and they don't recognize at first who it is now I don't know why maybe maybe the Holy Spirit concealed from them the identity of Jesus I don't know maybe he was wearing something a shawl of some kind of his head I don't know but it was important that they didn't recognize him you say why because he's going to teach them from the Word of God why he just showed himself there would have been so excited right but he's going to show them from the Word of God things that they did not comprehend let's pick up the story and Christian would you read for us from Luke 24 beginning with verse 36 down through verse 45 okay I'll be reading from the New King James Version Luke chapter 24 beginning with verse 36 now as they said these things Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said to them peace to you but they were terrified and frightened and supposed that they had seen a spirit and he said to them why are you troubled why do doubts arise in your hearts behold my hands and my feet that it is I myself handle me and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as see see I have force 40 weenie when he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet but while they still did not believe for the joy and marveled he said to them have you any food here so they gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb and he took it and ate it in their presence verse 44 then he said to them these are the words which I have spoken to you while I was with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me and he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures so by the way these two disciples Cleophus and the one with him after they've seen Jesus and they said didn't know hearts burn within us as he spoke with us on the road they recognized it was him they go to the upper room where the disciples are gathered and they said we've seen him and while they're there Jesus Joseph now as Jesus opens these scriptures from the Hebrew Scriptures do you think that they said I've never heard that before oh I've never heard that before what do you think they knew those scriptures so what a Hindi I'm only seeing you just with the viewers you're saying no I think they knew them so what hindered them from seeing the truth that was communicated Gary they had preconceived ideas of who Christ was and his mission and I mean a big reason of why they were all gathered together away from everyone was they were afraid didn't they they were afraid so they had preconceived ideas we could also call that presuppositions they had their understanding of how things should be which was what someone help us with that what was it Pedro was gonna be establishing his kingdom on earth and he will take up the the bondage from the Romans off the Israelites Messiah the Messiah would re-establish the glory of David's kingdom and that's that's not what happened was it but even during the Ministry of Jesus what are they arguing about the disciples are arguing about what greatest in this earthly kingdom so they have all of these presuppositions that hinder them from understanding Christian you know I can't help up to notice also in verse 37 and 38 that there's four descriptive words of what was going what was happening emotionally within them like it says they were terrified they were frightened they were troubled and they had doubts they were doubtful and when I look at all those words I can't help but to notice that there was fear in their hearts yes and you know over the years as I've interacted with people I discovered that that's so true fear sometimes hinders us from believing the clear word of the Lord and the fear was they killed they killed Jesus they could kill all of us too right yeah but these preconceived ideas or presuppositions hindered them when they came to scripture they did not interpret it correctly right yeah so let's talk about us today let's say a person comes with the presupposition that there is no supernatural intervention in human history mm-hmm okay so we're gonna start with that presupposition you could start with there's no god but let's just say that the person believes there is a God but there's no intervention into human history mm-hmm what what is that going to do when I come to Scripture what's going to be discarded and everything any miracles which uses incarnation the incarnation of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus and the miracles of Jesus and just in Jesus but go farther salvation salvation the second coming of Jesus certainly creation any kind of judgment like the flood the Bible the Bible if I start with a certain presupposition it will inevitably lead me down a certain Road right yes now you say well there are some people that believe that there are some people William Miller was one who was a deist believed there was a god but God kind of got things started and then kind of left and wasn't involved but as she started studying Bible prophecy you realize there's a God who rules over the affairs of men as it says in Daniel chapter 4 what are some other presuppositions that people today might have when they come to scripture anybody Tom well that it couldn't that there's no prophecies couldn't see into the future so therefore the chapters in the Bible that foretold the future must not have been written in the time periods that they said they were okay now of course in the scripture God says I am God I know the end from the beginning but they might start with a presupposition that there isn't a God and so there's no way to know what the future holds or some would say there is a god but even God doesn't know the future there are some people that believe that right but let's just say that they come with the presupposition that you can't know the future so what would that mean for say the Book of Daniel which is full of prophecy about close prophecy about medo Persia and Greece and Rome what would someone have to do in interpreting that apply it to now or all of - now or in the butt but how could the person writing it no medo Persia and Greece when Rome it has to be someone who lived during the time so then will be it would be hard to explain that because Daniel goes even further into history into his prophecies that but they did they they discard those part by saying that this is happening during that time so there are some who would say for example Daniel is written in the second century BC and all these things have fulfilled but the person's writing like they lived back here in the 6th century right and and obviously then they it's already happened they would say for example that the prophecy of Jesus recorded in Matthew about the destruction of Jerusalem must have been written after the destruction of Jerusalem because you can't possibly predict that no stunning stone will be left standing upon another so Thomas raised a presupposition if you can't know the future then all of these things right - just local application today or they must have been written after it happened pretending like they live some other time right putting words in the mouth of Jesus or whatever Sabina and some people also may believe that it's impossible to a god if there is any to review himself so they look at the Bible just as a book of stories or fables and they don't believe that there is this you know a spiritual element to the book so what people would say and I would describe it this way that there may be kind of religious people writing words about God but but but they don't believe that God could actually communicate communicate down that as Jesus said every word that proceeds from the mouth of God that God could actually communicate to the human family or would want to so do you see how significant our presuppositions are now here's a practical question for us how do we get past faulty presuppositions either given to us by our parents given to us by our teachers our community or even by our church right which might say you don't need to understand the Bible you just need to listen to the religious leader who tell you what to do how do I get past those faulty presuppositions I'm not even though I have them Nancy well you ask God for help because you know once you've had an experience with the God of creation it's undeniable there are ways that he speaks to us that are undeniable and we know it and it'll it'll strengthen our faith I wanted to also mention another presupposition that people have can be that they believe that science and the Bible aren't an agreement where in reality you know science is the study of God's creations you know if if we prop properly understood that's actually how it is right so I love a scientist there's a good friend of mine who said I'm gonna ask God some questions when I get there mm-hmm you know I mean I understand everything but I'm not going to discard the Bible because some finding the science or of some scientific research would say that this is not true all right so I want to come back Bible texts that give me encouragement that I can get past presuppositions that maybe just drilled into my brain in my culture and I can actually come to the Bible and hear the word of God Thomas well I mean I'm just looking at this passage itself we're just looking at and Luke they had presuppositions that made it hard for them to see that this was Jesus and so but it was through the study of the scripture and with an open mind that they were able to see the truth and I also look at you know Paul Paul was he himself was a persecutor of the Christians and he had pretty citizens right he did right but the appearance of Jesus that helped now I think you're onto something there let's do this spiritual it really requires a spiritual intervention we need God could it be that we need an encounter with Jesus Christian yes that's gonna help shatter these faulty presuppositions you know sometimes there are so many presuppositions that you feel lost it's like you're in a maze and you don't know which direction to go do I go left I go right do I go straight what do I do and a promise that is so comforting to me and I and what I choose to believe it I've um I'm overwhelmed with courage and that is found in John chapter 16 verse 13 would you read that for us yes and that's the word of Jesus right it's Jesus speaking here in chapter 16 verse 13 and well translation I'll read the New King James Version hey and listen to the words of Jesus he says however when he and he's referring to the Spirit of Truth the Holy Spirit has come he will guide you into all truth amen where he will not speak on his own authority but whatever he hears he will speak and he will tell you things to come so he will guide you into all truth so just as the disciples on the road to Emmaus had an encounter with the living Jesus just as saul of tarsus when he was in damascus fasting and praying for three days had an encounter well first on the Damascus Road right had an encounter with Jesus if we can have an encounter with Jesus through the Holy Spirit's ministry things can become clear to us is that right yeah so this is exciting Sabina even as we look at this passage in Luke 24 verse 45 the one that we have previously read it says here that then Jesus he opened their minds so that you could understand these creatures so it was an intervention of Jesus intervention of Jesus that's what we need Persis says I just don't get it and you say it's okay we all need a one the intervention of Jesus we've got to move on if we can beyond this to talk about translation as interpretation you say but never really thought about that but actually we translation languages do we have here today I've got English anyone have a different language Sabina you have Portuguese anyone else have another anyone else speak another language Spanish in Spanish but you have an English bathroom today now in in order to get from the original language into those translations we need to interpret the ancient language right interpretation is needed what would the ancient language is that the scriptures were written in Hebrew Hebrew Aramaic a few little parts in the Book of Daniel in Aramaic right mainly Hebrew and then a little bit of Greek on the end we call that the New Testament right a lot of Hebrew a little bit of Aramaic lots of Queenie Greek at the end okay so what do we do if we don't speak Hebrew or read Aramaic or Greek if we want to receive a clear message from the scripture we need to find what a reliable translation in our language I can say oh I like this translation but if the person speaks Icelandic or Hindi that translation is not going to help them right she needs to find he's to find a reliable translation in his or her language right yes so how do we choose a good translation somebody help me with that yes Travis choosing multiple translations so that you can compare one with the other in your studies you know what a mentor of mine he was very old when I was a young pastor named HMS Richard's senior he founded a ministry called the voice of prophecy he read through the Bible a hundred and eighty times and I was told by his son that he read through in twelve different translations what's the benefit of multiple translations by the way you know don't just choose a translation translated by some guy down the road who knows a little Greek and Abram right get it translated by a team of skilled linguist but even so Travis says multiple translations why is that helpful anybody multiple translations Gary sometimes you may see a word and it has different facets to that word that you didn't think of before or it may give you a different perspective on a text that you didn't realize and it's just amazing how multifaceted the words in the Bible can be all right Sabina and I think we need to understand that even a good translation is still an interpretation and it depends on context and the understanding of if you look at multiple people how they are you know looking into that text it may help you to come to your own conclusions also and actually even choosing the manuscripts that you're going to translate from is an interpretation some people say well this manuscript we believe is older than the other manuscript and it doesn't include this little piece or this word is different you have what we call variant readings but if you put a number of translations together some from different manuscripts can you find a reliable witness of God's message here yes absolutely Stephanie and I'm just thinking that at some point we have to trust that God will lead us and he's not trying to hold anything that's essential for our salvation from us so as we are seeking and praying he will guide us into truth I memorized the little Psalm it says Lord my heart is not haughty it's Psalm 131 and it talks about like a wind in my translation like a weaned child with its mother Psalm 131 verse two but another translation says like a nursing child or Sabina you have Portuguese and you said it says yeah it's it's nursing it's a nursing child it's actually a try that has just been nurse all right just be nurse like you know that's opposite from weed and you find out that that Hebrew word is only used in that one place and so the translators are I don't know is it waned or is it just nurse mm-hmm how do I respond to that yes what's the main point so in those two it says surely I have calmed and quieted my soul that's the main point that's the main point so whether a child is being nursed or the child has been weaned and is still cuddling with his mom the idea is that you have calmed and quieted your soul so God is able to give us a reliable message and the Holy Spirit wants to be our teacher is that right it's okay for you to say my favorite translation is but look at some others when you're doing you study and that's why I know we don't all have the same translation even in our class and I would reiterate it or emphasize that there is not one perfect translation right and like Travis pointed out the best thing we can do is collect two three four five of our favorite translations and always compare Scripture or translation with translation and to be able to get the big picture so maybe I shouldn't ask you what's your favorite translation because it doesn't really matter right we don't want thousands of people around the world saying well if Travis uses that translation I'm not gonna or I am going to use everyone right look at different translations some have said in English the new American Standard Bible is a very what's the word it's a word-for-word translation of very specific word for word sometimes even a little awkward because it's just literally saying what the text says some try to put it in more flowing words but maybe not quite as direct let's look at different ones and and most of all while we're doing that what bring pray and ask the Holy Spirit who inspired the prophets and preserved the scripture to be our teacher with me yes and he is going to guide us into all truth well as we talk about the need for interpretation we also need to recognize that there's a cultural context in which scripture is given so let's go to the book of Acts chapter 17 here in the book of Acts and we find a cultural context than Jason if you could read for us starting in verse 16 it's the story of the Apostle Paul and I believe is in Greece isn't it and let's see what we learn in verses 16 to 32 I'll be reading here from the New King James Version Acts chapter 17 verses 16 to 32 now while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshippers and in the marketplace daily with those who happen to be there then certain epicurean and stoic philosophers encountered him and some said what is this babbler want to say others said he seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection and they took him and brought him to the era Pagis saying may we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak for you are bringing some strange things to our ears therefore we want to know what these things mean for all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time and nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing then Paul stood in the midst of the areopagus and said men of Athens I perceive that in all things you are very religious for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship I even found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God therefore the one whom you worship without knowing him I proclaim to you God who made the world and everything in it since he is Lord of Heaven and Earth does not dwell in temples made with hands nor is he worshipped with men's hands as though he needed anything since he gives to all life breath and all things and he has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth and has determined their pre appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings so that they should seek the Lord in the hope that they might grope for him and find him though he is not far from each of us for in him we live and move and have our being as also some of your own poets have said for we are also his offspring therefore since we are the offspring of God we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone something shaped by art and man's devising truly these times of ignorance God overlooked but now commands all men everywhere to repent because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained he has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead and when they heard of the resurrection of the Dead some mocked while others said we will hear you again on this matter now what Paul has spoken like that if he was in Jerusalem you say Derek it depends if a group of Greeks came right as they did right before his death he might have been sensitive to their culture right yes do you think he made a mistake by being so embedded with their culture he quotes from one of their altars he quotes from the poets right what do you think later when he gets to Corinth which is the next city he says writing to the Corinthians I determined to know nothing among you except what Christ Jesus and him crucified boy that was a shift did he make a mistake in Athens do you think no I don't think so I think that we need to be able to adapt to the culture that we're in I heard a story of someone that went to a very remote area of the world and they were trying to preach to them and they tried and tried and tried and they didn't have even one convert and they found out that in that culture they use storytelling a lot as is like one of their main communication methods and it passed down historical things so they went and they dramatized what they had been preaching and all sudden they had tons of converts just by making that change so I think that we need to be able to do that also to look and say ok with children I would say it this way with an adult this way with this culture this way and I see the proof here in answer to your question in verse 34 yeah some people yeah several people believe so I think that was a perfect method well and that would be true both in communicating with a culture but also reading the text about a culture embedded in a culture we need to understand the cultural context some interpretation is needed does that make sense I really think Paul was so smart because if you look closer here is the thing this is was a culture the Greek culture in which polytheism was something right when Z was their religion yet when we look at if you if you know better who are the epicurean and stoic philosophers and if you think about Greek philosophy and how it was moving from these ideas of polytheism and actually believing that there was this God who was you know one moved mover he was very smart to actually see he you you are already moving to these new ideas yet you still worship all these gods so he was he was maybe using their new ideas to make things look to the eye to the one God that we believe instead of believing in the politician that they were coming from and so so he understood them we're talking in this study about why interpretation is needed so we also for example we we ought to know what the Epicureans believed or what the Stoics believed so we could understand right so how do we do that how do we learn about biblical times biblical culture Greek culture when we're reading about is going through Greece how do we how do we educate ourselves so that we can interpret what we're reading correctly yes don't I'm someone's gonna say Google right but we have a stories of the Bible that teach some of that their lifestyles and how they believe things you know we see that Jesus he use on his parables the agricultural methods to explain how the lifestyle is one example that we can see on our time today the translation is an art for us if we look into if we go to a area of the world that Brad is not something that people eat and we're trying to translate you know I speak two languages and for me to say well Jesus is the bread of life I'm gonna look around and try to understand their culture might be a root like yuca or a potato or rice maybe the most important thing for them and says Jesus is the rice is the is the most important aspect of your meal so translating is not just saying a word that they don't understand about something they do understand so in a very hot tropical climate to say your sins will be as white as snow difficult for them to understand maybe I'm going to say why does coconut but-but-but we're talking here particularly about understanding when we're reading the Bible so then we can interpret it correctly what what are some tools that we can use we're talking here about how to interpret the Bible Stephanie I would just look in historical writings and to understand culture and what are some of the times that those people were living in and I think Sabina when she was talking about the Epicureans and the Stoics and how they were moving she'd apparently been studying about that era yeah in order to understand it yeah what else can we do there's there's good Bible dictionaries Bible encyclopedias that a variety of them that contain a lot of good content that can help us understand Maya one of my favorite professors in graduate school told me when he was just a young young man he read through Bible dictionaries I thought oh I look up things in Bible dictionaries he read through them just learning more and more about all kinds of different different aspects of the culture and different words and what they meant and who different groups of people were so whether we take a real book or we have a digital copy if we're intentional and we want to interpret the scripture accurately we ought to learn about those settings yeah and in commentaries and I think if you take multiple dictionaries and commentaries that will help you get a bigger picture and you know always tell people because the commentary is actually interpreting the text right right better to actually go to the text and get tools like lexicons which tell you what the word means and dictionaries which give you the context and then pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you then you might want to go and look at what and the commentator has said but you might go no that's not right from what I've studied right even the Bereans what did they do yeah they went to the scriptures and checked it I think asking the Holy Spirit to guide them to see if those things were true are there some universal truths that kind of transcend all cultures it's like that's not just a local cultural thing what what are some truths that transcend all coaches freedom we long for freedom you long for freedom what else transcends all cultures your own scene there you're okay we're all we're all sinners that we may not know those words we may not realize it but something's wrong something's missing something is missing something's broken you don't have you don't go to any culture where they say nothing's broken right maybe their brokenness shows itself in different ways what about good what overarching truth is there the transcends old cultures I'm gonna say God is good god is love God is good god is love God loves all of his children do they all know that no they don't do they and so we need to help them so that they can interpret accurately the revelation has been given Thomas I think with that it's also important to remember that just because it was okay and the ancient cultures doesn't mean that it's okay like for example there were instances of slavery human trafficking you know sexual crimes all kinds of things that they kind of glossed over in action times and and sometimes the Bible writers might have been soft on some of those things but it will have to understand that there was a context or culture like for example we were looking at Ephesians 6 can we take a look at would you read that for us I wanted a mess really and that's an important insight in Ephesians it almost seems like Paul is supporting slavery until you read carefully how he tells masters to treat their slaves and our masters are gonna have to answer to God in heaven and then you see how he writes to Philemon about an SMS and if you follow those principles the whole system of slavery is gonna collapse what did you read for its allegiance yeah these are six six verse five five times right yeah I'll read it from the New King James bond servants be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling in sincerity of heart as to Christ not with eyeservice as men pleasers but as bond servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men knowing that whatever good anyone does he will receive the same from the Lord whatever he's a slave or free and you masters do the same thing as giving up threatening that knowing that your own master also is in heaven and there's no partiality with him and I think this is important text because important to talk about because so many people have used this passage to say oh look there's slavery in the Bible therefore and historically people actually use this passage to justify slavery but they don't underst taken into consideration that this is a specific first of all the slavery back then was different and second of all he has a context a point he's trying to make and that is really simply just about you know there's some situations you can't control like for example we didn't they didn't have a democracy back then you know we live in a democracy here in the United States so we have a lot more freedoms but you know if you try to speak up some some context you might get killed yeah so you know there's a different context and we have to keep that in mind first certainly and of course Philemon which is a little book just one chapter but you read like verses 10 through 16 the way that he tells Philemon to treat an esse mmus is going to just he says receive him as a son you know when you do that you you've totally lost that old system right so we need to look and say okay he's meeting them in that system but you know if anyone is in Christ are a new creation right and there's no the neither male-female bond or free right we're all one in Christ when we apply those principles it really demolishes an old abusive system but again we need to understand the context in the Roman Empire some of the slaves were high standing and there weren't people who are beaten and in chain gangs and all of those things but we need to understand the context Nicole did you want to respond to that you just listening with great intensity I want to go to another text if we can Travis could you read for us from John chapter 12 verses 42 and 43 sometimes even as followers of God we have things that hinder us from understanding interpreting the scripture accurately read John 12 42 and 43 for us and I'll be reading from the New King James Version nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in him but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the synagogue for the look for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God so what was their problem don't be too hard on them because I'm asking you for a testimony of when you did that to what was the problem right they were intimidated by their leaders by their peers maybe even their religious teachers right who'd you know married them families and you know maybe it had some funerals for their relatives and it's like who they really believed in Jesus but they were hesitant because of this pressure this here here pressure anybody have a testimony where where somehow that pressure held you back from being bold in what you really really believed it and won't wanted to say that that could hold us back anybody you say yes but I don't want to tell you yes Nicole it might maybe a personal experience but I think that even our churches today we have a lot of young people who have come to me at least and talked about the fact that they would like to do more for the church but they feel like the elders or the folks in authority would not give them proper you know the proper venue to be able to share and to be able to be a part of the church service so I think that we do it today where you know people people are somewhat afraid of stepping out and really being bold and speaking up for Christ because of what they see that's going on around and it may be our pride it may not be pride it may be fear of retribution by people that are our elders or our leaders there's a lot of things that can hold us back yes bedroom even our trust we might not trust God he's able to do something through us and and we are afraid that other things will take place that God would not be able to control and and believe it in God having faith in here is a very important aspect of a bully even in Scripture to says if God said it if I can believe it I can put in practice and he will make it happen so if it's if it says I'm gonna pour out my spirit on sons and daughters and your leaders tell you but you're too young well daughters can be young right or you will be witnesses in Jerusalem Judea into the ends of the earth and people say well you can't go to the ends of the earth cos you don't have a college degree there's all kinds of hindrances that people put in our way right yes here's a beautiful promise in psalm 32 someone read it for us verses 8 and 9 the Lord is speaking when maybe either our fallen and sinful nature or someone else is fallen in sinful nature is hindering God's plan or allowing me to correctly interpret what the Bible saying I'm thinking I think it's saying that he what he wants me to go to all right psalm 32 Evelyn could you read verses 8 and 9 I'll be reading from the New King James Version I will instruct you and teach you in the way should go I will guide you with my I do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding which must be harnessed with bait and brittle else they will not come near you so rather than having the Lord I mean God doesn't do this he doesn't force us but it's saying God's not gonna drag you along like horse with a bridle a bit right gonna drag you but what is he inviting us to do willingly let him lead us you're not gonna drag us right but have the courage as we come to scripture to believe God is that really what you're saying do you want to use a young person like Jeremiah or Josiah or Evelyn right do I have the courage to really believe that well interpretation is needed we call that the technical term is hermeneutics the way that we interpret the text we're going to continue to study about that in this series but let's just look at a few verses both that emphasizes the need and illustrate the process of interpretation as a blessing second Peter chapter three we've looked at the first part of that in a previous study but I'd like to look at verses 15 and 16 Nicole if you'd read second Peter 3:15 and 6 the i-smile when I give the reference because this Peter is an amazing fisherman and is anointed by the Holy Spirit has a confession that sometimes interpretation is needed when reading the scripture the New International Version says bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him he writes the same way in all his letters speaking in them of these matters his letters contain some things that are hard to understand which ignorant and unstable people distort as they do the other scriptures to their own destruction now there's a lot of really important insights in there's a couple of verses bring some out for me yes Gary even though there are hard things to understand right it's in the other scriptures okay they're saying they twist it as they do the other sprays so I think he's saying there Paul's not the only one has difficult things that people could twist right but what are some encouraging things there what are some important insights he brings out long suffering of the Lord okay the long suffering or patience of the Lord but about the scriptures what do you see what's what's he saying is he recognizing Paul's writings just as some random work was he recognizing it as part of the scriptures yes right that's pretty significant right what else do you see there's some things a hard to understand in other words I could use a little help that's what we call interpretation right could you get give me a little help cuz I don't I don't understand all of that very clearly I think it also recognizes that early on there's already people are twisting scripture yeah well that's a good point you know and we still see that today yeah let's look back at Nahum I it's a beautiful illustration we've studied a series on Ezra Nehemiah but Nehemiah chapter 8 verses 1 to 3 and verse 8 where they've rediscovered the scripture and Nancy could you read that they've rediscovered the scripture and they not only read it but let's see what the text says in chapter 8 of Nehemiah verses 1 to 3 and verse 8 okay I'm reading from the New King James Version and it reads when the seventh month came the children of Israel were in their cities now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the water gate and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded Israel so is Ezra the priest brought the law before the Assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the water gate from morning until midday before the men and women and those who could understand and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law I'm 1/8 so they read distinctly from the book in the law of God and they gave the sense and helped them to understand the reading I love that they gave the sense in other words they give if you will a simple explanation and help them to understand now that was back in the time of Nehemiah we started out with Jesus he kept the sense of what the text meant all pointing to him as Messiah that Christ must suffer these things mm-hmm who's helped you they admire these people help back then Jesus helped them on the road to Emmaus and in the Upper Room who's helped you in your interpretation of the Bible give me a name who's helped you oops Anthony my Bibles my Bible instructor your Bible teacher is that when you were in college or high school I was in college and he taught us how to study the Bible with the Strong's Concordance okay and it was great to know how to do that when you come up to questions in the future you can study it for yourself Sabina did you have someone that helped you Manny I well I can't I cannot not say about my professors in the seminary they are so great so awesome I can always learn did anyone have a family member that was helpful yeah my Harry my uncle yeah uncle yeah he was a pastor ah and I remember after church he would have a Daniel and revelation Bible studies and just a prophecy seminar type studies and I would go there after church and I'd sit there and learn learn from him and you're not a preacher right you're you're you working I'm an engineer you're an engineer but you're part of how examples go and we can all benefit from someone helping us to understand the scripture to get the sense because not everything is easy to understand but there is within scripture a clear and compelling message that God loves us with an immeasurable and unfailing love and Jesus came to save us not only for today but for eternity and that's our prayer for you and for ourselves as we come to scripture it's not an embarrassing thing to say could we get a little interpretation here find someone who loves God loves the Word of God find counsel from various people good Bible resources get a clearer picture of the Word of God and then live in harmony with what you know most of all find Jesus whom to know is life eternal let's pray father in heaven thank you as we go on this journey interpreting the Bible that you'll help us not just to find information but to find you as we search for you with all of our hearts we thank you in the name of Jesus amen well thanks for joining us for hope Sabbath school today what a series how to interpret the Bible so much to learn so much to share but take the things you've learned today and go out and be a blessing to those around you [Music] [Applause]

Channel: HopeSabbathSchool

Views: 30,014

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Keywords: Hope Sabbath School, Seventh-Day Adventist, Derek Morris, Bible study

Id: aOOPTpYh7P8

Length: 58min 24sec (3504 seconds)

Published: Mon May 04 2020