Why What We Believe about the Bible Matters

Scripture: Isa. 55.8-11; 2 Tim. 3.16-17; Heb. 4.12-13; 2 Pet. 1.20-21; John 17.17; Ps. 119.160; Heb. 6.18; 1 Tim. 5.18; 2 Pet. 3.14-16; 1 Cor. 2.10-16; Luke 24.44

Translation: ^{2 Tim. 3.16}All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, for exposing, for correcting, and for training/discipline in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God can be ready, completely prepared for every good work.

^Heb.4.12You see, the Word of God is living and at work and sharper than every double-edged sword and stabbing through division of soul and spirit, and of the joints and the marrows, and able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the mind. ¹³And creation is not invisible before Him—moreover, all things are naked and exposed to His eyes, for Whom the word [came] to us.

^{Heb. 6.18}so that by two unchangeable things, among which it is impossible for God to lie, we, who have taken refuge, would have a strong encouragement to hold on to the hope set ahead of us.

^{2 Pet. 1.20}first knowing this, that every prophesy of Scripture didn’t come to exist out of its/his own interpretation, ²¹because prophesy was not ever brought by the will of a human being, rather men from God spoke carried by the Holy Spirit.

^{John 17.17}Make them holy with the truth. Your Word is truth.

^{1 Tim. 5.18}After all, the Scripture says, “Don’t muzzle a threshing ox” and “the worker is worthy of his pay”

^{2 Pet. 3.14}Therefore, loved ones, while expecting these things, hurry to be found in Him faultless and blameless in peace, ¹⁵and consider the patient salvation of our Lord, just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, ¹⁶as also in all his letters, speaking in them about these things, in which are some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people twist as they do the rest of the Scriptures to their very own destruction.

^{1 Cor. 2.10}And God reveals it to us by the Spirit, because the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. ¹¹Afterall, what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man that is in him? In the same way also no one knows the things of God, except the Spirit of God. ¹²And we haven’t received the spirit of the world, but rather the Spirit that is from God, so that we might know the things graced to us by God, ¹³which we are also talking about not with words taught by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit: with Spirit-related things we are explaining Spirit-related things. ¹⁴And natural man doesn’t welcome the things of the Spirit of God, because it is stupidity to him and he can’t understand it, because they are judged Spiritually. ¹⁵And the Spiritual person judges all things, but he is being judged by no one, ¹⁶because who knows the Lord’s mind? Who will teach Him? And we have Christ’s mind.

^{Isaiah 55.8}You see, My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways—Yahweh’s declaration. ⁹If the heavens are higher than the earth, in the same way My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. ¹⁰You see, just as the rain and snow fall from the skies, and doesn’t return there, unless it has watered the earth—it both waters it and makes it sprout, and gives seed to the sow and bread to eat, ¹¹My Word is the same way when it goes out from My mouth. For sure, it does not return to me empty, until it does what I planned, and achieves what I sent it for.

^{Psalm 119.160}The head of Your Word is truth, and all your righteous decisions last forever!

Interpretation

1.      Xxx

2.      Themes

a.       God’s speaks

b.      God’s sovereignty

c.       God’s intentionality

d.      God’s intelligence/creativity

e.       The Bible’s necessity

f.       Truth

g.      Trustworthiness of God

h.      Necessity of the Holy Spirit to understanding the Bible

i.        The eternal relevancy of the Bible

3.      Doctrines

a.       The Bible is the only final rule and norm for the Church

b.      The Bible is inspired by God

Applications

1.      What do we believe about the Bible?

a.       The Bible is God’s Word

                                                              i.      So it’s true and trustworthy (Ps. 119.160; John 17.17; Heb. 6.18)

                                                            ii.      So it’s absolutely authoritative (Heb. 4.12-13; 2 Pet. 1.20-21)

                                                          iii.      So it’s eternally relevant (Isa. 40.8; Matt.24.35)

                                                          iv.      So it’s only understandable by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2.10-16)

b.      The Bible is Effective

                                                              i.      It always accomplishes God’s purpose (Isa. 55.8-11)

                                                            ii.      It always is necessary for growing and living for Christ (2 Tim. 3.16-17)

c.       The Bible is the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament

                                                              i.      The Old Testament is the Bible (Luke 24.44)

                                                            ii.      The New Testament is the Bible (1 Tim. 5.18 [Paul quotes Luke 10.7/Jesus]; 2 Pet. 3.14-16 [Peter calls Paul’s writings Scripture])

                                                          iii.      The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha are not the Bible

                                                          iv.      The Koran, the Book of Mormon, and other non-Christian books that claim to be true are not from God (1 Cor. 14.37-38)

2.      Why does it matter?

a.       Because it’s necessary to have God’s Word to know Who God is (1 Cor. 2.10-16)

                                                              i.      Because it’s necessary to have God’s Word to trust in Christ meaningfully (1 Cor. 15.12-19)

b.      Because it’s necessary to have God’s Word to know what’s true

                                                              i.      How do we know what to believe when all these people claim to know the truth?

c.       Because it’s necessary to have God’s Word to know what to do

                                                              i.      How will you know what you should and shouldn’t do? What is right and wrong?

                                                            ii.      How will you know what God is calling you to do?

d.      Because it’s necessary to have God’s Word to know how to grow (2 Tim. 3.16-17)

                                                              i.      Positively, knowing what to do

                                                            ii.      Negatively, exposing our secret sins or sins we didn’t know were sins

                                                          iii.      Positively, setting us straight, so that we are in the right place

                                                          iv.      Mixed, training us/disciplining us to do every good work

e.       Because it’s necessary to have God’s Word to know real hope

                                                              i.      To have real hope in Christ, we need to know that His message is true

                                                            ii.      To know anything about God or the future, we need a place to get the information

3.      Discussion Questions

a.       What is your favorite book of the Bible? Why? Please share something encouraging from it.

b.      Do you ever have a hard time trusting what the Bible? Why or why not?

c.       Do you ever feel like the Bible just doesn’t connect with your everyday life? Why or why not? Talk about a time when it did connect with your life? How did it help?

d.      Why should it be encouraging to know that God’s Word is always working?

e.       Share a time when the Bible helped you see a sin in your life and overcome it.

f.       What do you think you need the Bible to know about God, the world, and life?

g.      Commit to reading a certain section of the Bible this week. 

Dealing with People: When the Church Lets You Down (Rev. 2-3)

Scripture: Revelation 2.1-3.22

Translation: ^2.1To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write [the following]: The One Who’s holding the seven starts in his right hand is saying this, the One Who’s walking in the middle of the seven gold lampstands! ²I know your actions and the work and your endurance and that you can’t put up with evil people, and you tested those who are calling themselves apostles and are not [apostles] and you found them liars. ³And you have endurance and you’ve carried the burden because of My Name and you aren’t even getting tired! ⁴But I hold against you that You left your first love! ⁵So, look at where your truly falling from and repent! and do your first actions! And if you don’t, I’m coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place, if you don’t repent! ⁶But you have this going for you: you have the works of the Nicolaitans, which I hate too! ⁷The person who has ears had better listen up to what the Spirit is saying to the churches! For the person who takes victory I will give him [the blessing] of eating from the Tree of Life, which is in the Paradise of God!

⁸And to the angel of the church in Smyrna, write [the following]: The First and the Last, Who became dead and lived is saying this: ⁹I know your suffering and poverty, but you are rich, and the verbal abuse from the people saying they are Jews and are not, instead [they are] a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰Don’t fear anything that you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you are tested and will have suffering for ten days. Become faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life! ¹¹The person who has ears had better listen up to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. The one who’s taking victory definitely won’t not be harmed by the second death!

¹²And to the angel of the church in Pergamum, write the following: The One holding the sharp double-edged sword is saying this: ¹³I know where you’re living, where the throne of Satan is, and you’re holding on to My Name and I won’t deny My faith. And in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. ¹⁴But I’m holding a few things against you: you have there those who are holding the teaching of Balaam, who was teaching Balak to throw a stumbling block before the sons of Israel to eat idol sacrifices and commit sexual sins. ¹⁵In this way, similarly, you also have those who’re holding to the teaching of the Nikolaitans. ¹⁶So, repent! And if you don’t, I’m coming to you quickly and I will make war with them with the sword of My mouth! ¹⁷The person who has ears had better listen up to what the Spirit is saying to the churches! To the person who takes victory, I will give to him from completely hidden manna and I will give to him a white voting stone. And on the stone there will be a new name inscribed, which no one knows, except the one getting it.

¹⁸And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write the following: The Son of God, the One Who has His eyes like flames of fire and his feet are like fine bronze, is saying this: ¹⁹I know your actions and love and faith and teaching and your endurance, and your latest actions are better than your first ones! ²⁰But I’m holding against you that you’re allowing the woman Jezebel, the one calling herself a prophetess, and she is teaching and deceiving My slaves into committing sexual sins and eating food offered to idols. ²¹And I gave her time, so that she could repent, and she doesn’t want to repent from her sexual sin. ²²Look, I’m throwing her to a bed and those who are committing adultery with her to great suffering, if they don’t repent from her actions! ²³And her children I will kill with death. And all the churches will know that I am the One searching minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your actions. ²⁴And I’m saying to the rest of you in Thyatira, as many of you as are not holding to this teaching, whoever doesn’t know the depths of Satan as they say. I’m not throwing on you another burden, ²⁵but what you have, hold on to it until whenever I will come! ²⁶And the one who takes victory and the one keeping My practices until the end, I will give to him authority over the nations ²⁷and “he will shepherd them with an iron staff; like ceramic objects he will smash [them]!” ²⁸As I too really have received from My Father, I will also give him the morning star! ²⁹The person who has ears had better listen up to what the Spirit is saying to the churches!

^3.1And to the angel of the church in Sardis, write the following: The One Who has the Seven Spirits of God and the Seven Stars is saying this: I know your actions, that you are holding on to a name that you’re alive, and you are dead! ²Become on the alert and finish the rest of the things that are about to die, because I haven’t found your actions truly completed before My God! ³So remember how you have truly received and you heard and were keeping and repent! So if you don’t get on the alert, I will come like a thief. And you definitely won’t know what hour I will come to you! ⁴But you have a few names in Sardis, whose clothes are not stained. And they are walking with me in white clothes, because they are holy! ⁵To the person who takes victory in this way will be dressed in white clothes and I will definitely not take his name out of the Book of Life and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels! ⁶The person who has ears had better listen up to what the Spirit is saying to the churches!

⁷And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: The Holy One, the True One, the One holding the key of David, the One Who opens and no one will close and Who closes and no one opens is saying this: ⁸I know you actions. Look, I gave before you an open door, which no one is able to close, that you have little power and you have kept My message and I will not deny My Name! ⁹Look, I’m locking up [those] from the synagogue of Satan, from those saying they are Jews and are not, but are lying. Look, I will make them, so that they will come and fall down before your feet and they would know that I love you! ¹⁰Because you have kept the message of My endurance, and I will keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test those living on the earth. ¹¹I’m coming quickly! Hold on to what you have, so that no one receives your crown! ¹²The person who takes victory—I will make him a beam in the Temple of My God and he definitely won’t go outside anymore, and I will write on him the Name of My God and the Name of the City of My God, the New Jerusalem that is coming down from Heaven from My God, and the My New Name! ¹³The person who has ears had better listen up to what the Spirit is saying to the churches!

¹⁴And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following: The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Ruler of the Creation of God is saying this: ¹⁵I know your actions, that you’re neither cold or hot. How I wish you were cold or hot! ¹⁶In this way because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I’m about to vomit you out of My mouth! ¹⁷Because you say “I’m rich and I’m truly full and I don’t need anything” and you don’t know that you are the wretched and pitiful and poor and blind and naked person! ¹⁸I’m advising you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so that you will be rich, and white clothes, so that you’d be wearing something and the shame of your nakedness wouldn’t be exposed, and healing eye ointment to put on your eyes so that you could see! ¹⁹whoever I love I confront and discipline! So get excited and repent! ²⁰Look, I’m standing at the door and I’m knocking. If anyone would hear My voice and open the door, I will come to him and eat with Him and He with me! ²¹The person who takes victory—I will give Him [the blessing] of sitting with Me on My Throne, as I too took victory and sat with My Father on His Throne! ²²The person who has ears had better listen up to what the Spirit is saying to the churches!

Interpretation

1.      Structure

a.       Letter to the Church in Ephesus (2.1-7)

b.      Letter to the Church in Smyrna (2.8-11)

c.       Letter to the Church in Pergamum (2.12-17)

d.      Letter to the Church in Thyatira (2.18-29)

e.       Letter to the Church in Sardis (3.1-6)

f.       Letter to the Church in Philadelphia (3.7-13)

g.      Letter to the Church in Laodicea (3.14-22)

2.      Themes

a.       Love

b.      Endurance

c.       Sexual sin

d.      Idolatry

e.       False-prophecy

f.       Jesus is speaking

g.      The Spirit is speaking

h.      Repentance is needed

i.        Actions matter

j.        The Return of Christ

k.      Holiness

l.        Purity

m.    Rewards

3.      Doctrines

a.       Jesus is coming back

b.      Those faithful to Christ will be rewarded

c.       Judgment is coming to the unfaithful

d.      Actions and doctrine matter to Jesus

Applications

1.      Outline

a.       When the church lets you down, know that Christ feels your pain more intensely because above all they have let Him down

                                                              i.      In 5 of the 7 churches, Jesus has a problem with them

1.      Failure to continue in love

2.      Idolatrous compromise and sexual sin

3.      False prophecy

4.      Refusal of repentance

5.      Arrogance

6.      Unholy lifestyles

7.      Lack of readiness for Christ’s return

8.      Lack of passion for Christ

9.      Thinking they don’t need Jesus

10.  Excluding Jesus from their lives and the church

                                                            ii.      Take comfort though in the fact that although most the churches were letting Jesus down, not all of them were, and in fact most of them were doing something right (5 of the 7)

1.      Evaluating teachers, preachers, “apostles” and not tolerating evil and heretical people

a.       This also means that a failure here lets Jesus down

2.      Commitment to Christ and the Gospel despite circumstances

3.      Willingness to die for Christ, and actually doing it when necessary

4.      Loving others

5.      Trusting God

6.      Good doctrine

7.      Endurance

8.      Growth

                                                          iii.      Go to Christ with your sorrows, hurts, disappointments, and the like, He will understand and comfort you

                                                          iv.      But also reframe your experience away from a highly egotistical perspective. You are not better or more loved in the church than Jesus, and if the church fails at loving Jesus from time to time, and perhaps even a lot of the time, they are going to fail you.

1.      Should you expect the church to be the church that Jesus has called the church to be? Yes, of course.

2.      But on the other hand should you forget that churches are filled with failing and sinful people, No. Don’t expect the church to treat you any better than it does Christ, even if it should.

a.       Put another way, the church will probably at some point in your life let you down, but when that happens you need to grieve it and go to Jesus with it and identify with Him. Don’t give up on the church, follow Christ’s example and continue to love the Body of Christ, that Jesus died for, and if necessary call it to repentance—but don’t give up.

b.      When the church lets you down, check your own heart and life and see if you are part of the problem or one of the faithful

                                                              i.      It is easy for us to blame other and fail to see our own part of the problem. We often fail to see the sin in our own life or we make it seem so small to ourselves that we take greater offense at the church’s sin than our own.

1.      Sometimes it will be worse, but other times it won’t. and even when it is we need to be humble and wise and love in our response.

                                                            ii.      Ask:

1.      Are you letting Jesus down personally? Is there unrepented sin in your life?

2.      Are contributing to the church’s problem either by doing something or by doing nothing?

                                                          iii.      If you do have sin and/or are a part of the problem, repent!

                                                          iv.      If you are one of the faithful, don’t get proud, stay humble. Don’t get hostile, stay loving! Hold on to what you are doing right and hold on to Christ in hope of His return and the rewards He gives!

c.       Has our church let Jesus down?

                                                              i.      If not, generally speaking, we need to keep our hearts and minds and lives focused on Christ and living in hope of His return

                                                            ii.      If so, then we need to repent of our sins and not let go of what we are doing right

1.      The truth is, I think our youth group and our church in general has sin and problems in it. I mean all churches have issues and sinners in them, but the question is really are there some sins our church is marked by? And is there any systemic failure in our church?

a.       Evangelism

b.      Prioritizing Jesus and worship

c.       Lack of passion

d.      Lack of prayer

e.       Lack of communication or concern for one another, perhaps

f.       Living in the past

g.      Lack of reconciliation

d.      Has our church let people down?

                                                              i.      If not, generally speaking, we need to keep our hearts and minds and lives focused on Christ and living in hope of His return

                                                            ii.      If so, then we need to repent of our failures and sins and not let go of what we are doing right

1.      I think we could be more loving

2.      I think I could communicate better

3.      I think we are letting down the people who would know Christ if we had told them

2.      Discussion Questions

a.       Have you ever felt let down by a church or church in general? How did you handle it?

b.      Do you think you have ever let the church down or contributed to the church letting Jesus or people down?

c.       Do you think our church is letting Jesus down right now? if so, how and why? If not, what do we need to make sure we keep doing?

d.      Do you think our church is letting people down right now? if so, how and why? If not, what do we need to make sure we keep doing?

Dealing with People, When It's a Maturity Issue (1 Cor. 8.1-13, 10.23-11.1; Rom. 14.1-15.7)

Scripture: I Corinthians 8.1-13; 10.23-11.1; Romans 14.1-15.7

Translation: ^{1 Cor. 8.1}And about things related to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ²If someone thinks he knows something, he doesn’t yet know to the degree that it is necessary to know. ³And if someone loves God, this person is known by Him. ⁴So, about the food of the things related to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no god, except One. ⁵And you see, even if there are so-called gods—whether in heaven or on earth—in the same way that there are many gods and many lords, ⁶but for us ‘There is One God, the Father, from Whom all things exist and we exist for Him! And there is One Lord, Jesus the Messiah, through Whom all things exist and we exist through Him!” ⁷But this knowledge is not in everyone. And some people are still now in the habit of the idol as they are eating the things related to idols. And their conscience, because it’s weak, is defiled. ⁸But food won’t present us to God: it isn’t that if we don’t eat we are lacking, nor is it that if we do eat we are abounding. ⁹And make sure that this right of yours doesn’t become a stumbling block for weak people. ¹⁰For if someone sees you who have this knowledge eating dinner in an idol’s temple, won’t the conscience of the person who is weak be built up into eating the idol-related things? ¹¹You see, the weak person is destroyed by your knowledge—the brother for whom Christ died! ¹²And by sinning against the brothers in this way and attacking their weak conscience, you’re sinning against Christ! ¹³For this exact reason, if food is tripping my brother up, I for sue won’t eat meat forever, so that I won’t trip up my brother!

^{1 Cor. 10.23}All things are allowed, but not all things are beneficial! All things are allowed, but not all things build up! ²⁴No one should see his own interest, rather [he should seek] the interest of the other person. ²⁵Eat everything sold in the market, scrutinizing nothing because of conscience, ²⁶becauese “The earth is the Lord’s, and what fills it!” ²⁷If any of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat whatever is put in front of you, scrutinizing nothing because of conscience. ²⁸But if someone says to you: “This is idol-related,” don’t eat because of that person who informed you and because of conscience. ²⁹And I’m saying conscience—not your own, but the other person’s. Because for what purpose is my freedom judged by someone else’s conscience? ³⁰If I enjoy by grace, why am I being slandered about what I’m thankful for? ³¹So, whether you’re eating or drinking or doing something, do all things for the glory of God! ³²Become blameless/inoffensive both to Jews and to Greeks and to God’s church, ³³just like I’m pleasing to all people in all things, not seeking my own benefit, but that of the many, so that they would get saved. ^11.1Become imitators of me just like I too am of Christ!

Interpretation

1.      Structure

a.       1 Corinthians

                                                              i.      8.1-13              Don’t’ destroy Christians with your maturity

                                                            ii.      9.1-11              follow Paul’s example of humility

                                                          iii.      10.1-22            Don’t use maturity as a cover for idolatry

                                                          iv.      10.23-11.1       Embrace Freedom tempered by humility

b.      Romans

                                                              i.      14.1-12            Stop judging each other

                                                            ii.      14.13-23          Judge whether you are being true to your convictions

                                                          iii.      15.1-6              Be patient with weaker believers

                                                          iv.      15.7-13            Embrace one another, regardless of cultural background to the glory of God

2.      Themes

a.       1 Cor. 8.1-11.1

                                                              i.      Humility

                                                            ii.      Love

                                                          iii.      Judging

                                                          iv.      Following examples

                                                            v.      Others and their needs have priority of your wants

                                                          vi.      Freedom

                                                        vii.      Idolatry, idols, idol-related food

                                                      viii.      Eating

                                                          ix.      Drinking

                                                            x.      The glory of God

                                                          xi.      The salvation of the lost

                                                        xii.      Stumbling bocks

                                                      xiii.      knowledge

b.      Rom. 14.1-15.13

                                                              i.      Judging

                                                            ii.      Humility

                                                          iii.      Love

                                                          iv.      Differences of opinion

                                                            v.      Living for God

                                                          vi.      Embracing one another

                                                        vii.      Faith

                                                      viii.      Convictions

                                                          ix.      Prophecies of gentile inclusion fulfilled

                                                            x.      Hope

3.      Doctrines

a.       Don’t abuse your freedom, especially by judging others who don’t yet have it like you do, or by leading people to compromise the integrity of their convictions

b.      Jesus will judge

c.       Jesus died for us

d.      There is no special day or time, there is no bad food or drink

Applications

1.      Outline

a.       Reorient away from the “It’s right/wrong” issue towards the “How do I do what’s best for others” issue

b.      Reorient away from the “Is so-and-so right/wrong on this” question towards the “Am I living for the glory of God, doing what I believe to be true and right” question

c.       Reorient away from the “I deserve my rights” mindset towards the “I’ll gladly give up my rights for the sake of others” mindset

d.      Reorient away from the “they should be like me” attitude towards the “I want to be like Jesus” attitude

e.       Test Cases

                                                              i.      Worshipping on Sunday

                                                            ii.      Drinking alcohol

                                                          iii.      Vegetarianism

                                                          iv.      Watching movies

                                                            v.      Wearing dresses, facial hair

2.      Discussion Questions

a.       What are some issues that you think might be maturity issues? What side do you hold?

b.      When do you think is the right time to discuss which position is right or wrong

c.       Do you think it would be easy to give up your rights for the sake of someone else? Which ones would be hard, and which ones would be easy?

d.      Who are some examples of mature believers that you think are worth following when it comes to how to handle immature people? Are you actively trying to emulate them?