Waynes World 27Oct08
How to read your bible 1.
Wayne Duncan
I believe this series is one of the most significant series Ive ever done. Correctly applying the word of God is liberating, freeing, power releasing and life changing. Incorrectly applying the word is bondage, confusion and death. So how do we extract life from the word, and not death? We must understand how to approach the glorious word of God.
How many times has it happened to you that a friend wants to show you a scripture where they got a "revelation", but as you read the scripture and listen to the "revelation", you cant help feeling�"Im sure thats not what it means". By the way, Ive been that friend before! Heehee.
How often have you read a scripture and thought� "but this contradicts another scripture?".
Much confusion and error has crept into our lives over years, by not correctly interpreting the scriptures.
So how do we approach the bible? How do we construct biblical truth?
1. Its for you!
The first thing to be settled is that the bible is for everyone to read, and understand.
You dont need a degree; you dont need to be well learned. Every person, weather saved a minute or a millennium can receive truth from the bible. Were never to new or old to learn every time we read the bible.
The second we become born again, a veil is removed from our minds, and we can understand the bible. The Holy Spirit becomes our teacher, and as we read the bible, he brings truth and illumination.
1 Corinthins 2:12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
The Holy Spirit is our teacher and our guide.
Much of what we learn we will not even need the bible for�you say "what!" , thats heresy�is it?
Hebrews 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,"
And again in Hebrews 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. 8For he finds fault with them when he says:(Some manuscripts For finding fault with it he says to them) "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 9not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. 10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." 13In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
So we see here something extremely central to reading the bible.
There was a covenant. God found fault with it, and made it obsolete. He then established a new covenant. In this new covenant, he writes his will, and his ways on our hearts and minds. Not on tablets of stone, but of flesh. He Himself teaches us right from wrong, leading and guiding us in everything.
More about the covenants later in the series.
We see here that even if we had no bible, we would still have all we need to know right from wrong, and all we have in order to know God. Jesus bought us everything we need for life and godliness.
The bible actually has only been around for a few hundred years.
The early church had no new testament. About 50% of the world is illiterate. Hundreds of languages do not have a bible in their language. The good news is that all these "disadvantaged" people can know God. They can still be perfectly righteous, and live a victorious life, and operate in signs and wonders and with great power. They can still be mature Christians, because they can still have access to life in the spirit.
I watched a man tell a story...Jesus appeared to Him. Jesus told him the gospel, and told him who he was, and what he did for him. The man got saved, and baptized, spoke in tongues and began to witness on the streets. Until one day he discovered the bible, and read about the Jesus who had appeared to Him�wow (Faizel Malick)
Ive also chatted to countless people what have had dreams or visions where the Holy Spirit teaches people theology.
Everything from throne room encounters, to spiritual warfare and victory, to the love of God and other biblical truth.
You may say, so why have a bible then?
Its a wonderful safeguard and container of the heart of God to man. The enemy the deceiver loves to lie and distort and steal. God in his grace gave us the word to help keep us from deception. Its a tool to believe and to believe right.
My desire, and I believe its the desire of the father is that we all love to read the bible and read it often.
If we believe anything that is contrary to the bible, that belief is incorrect.
So we can measure our revelations through the bible, and we can create truth from the bible. Our visions and prophecies have to be scrutinized by the integrity of the word. If there is a discrepancy, we must make the adjustments.
The bible is the inspired, infallible word of God. It contains pure truth and life.
Now I applaud people who spread the word over the world with bibles, I used to work for the Gideons, handing out bibles in townships. We need these efforts, I hope we get a bible to every believer every where in the world. The bible is awesome and powerful.
My point here is simply, that for us who can read, and who have the Holy Spirit�regardless of who you are, you can read and understand the bible.
Simply say: Lord here I am, here is the bible, as I read teach me. Thank you.
Simply know: He will teach you.
2) Scripture vs Word
We need to understand the difference between the scriptures, and the word of God.
The scriptures are the entire collection of the writing of the bible.
The word, is the specific theme of the bible. The theme of the bible is God loves you, he sent Jesus, and now we are saved by grace if we believe. The word, is Gods message to you now.
The word of God is the word of no-condemnation: Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ"
Listen to this 5 Min talk by Bertie Brits
(up in till 02:10)
We dont come to a book, we come to a person.
Jesus is perfect theology.
Any belief I have that is outside of who Jesus is, must change.
Jesus is the exact representation of the father.
There is a difference between the word and the scriptures. Lets see how Jesus was perfect theology to this one lady in the bible.
John 8:1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" 6This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." 8And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."]]
The legalistic approach that the scribes and pharacees took was not in accordance with who Jesus is. Remember His words in John 3:16 For God so loved the world,(Or For this is how God loved the world) that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
What did the law say?
Well its interesting to note�the law is very complicated, and exact.
Firstly where was the man? The law demanded that both should be brought before judges. Lev 20:10
One of the problems with the law, is that the guilty are sometimes freed on technicalities!
Secondly the pharacees misrepresented the law; the actual death method was not prescribed by the law, so they were manipulation the law to their own advantage. If the woman was an engaged virgin, then stoning was to be used. Deut 22:22,23
This is exactly the strategy of the enemy. He wants to apply the law to you, he wants to condemn you, he wants to release death in your life. He will misapply the law to you. HE is wrong!
When you see this strategy at work in your life. Stop and say. The word of Jesus is the word of no condemnation.
I John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
We have permanent confidence before God, because we are not condemned.
God condemned sin in Jesus, so we might become the righteousness of God. When God looks at you he sees you as perfect as Jesus, even when you have just sinned, even while you sin. Why coz he sees you through the blood of Jesus, he sees you in Christ. Nothing can separate us from this love.
Surely this girl, burning with lust, betraying her husband. Sneaking around and having sex, during the day, while others were gathered in religious meetings. Surely she was guilty, in fact she was guilty, so where was her punishment, where was her judgment, where was the wrath of God.? Jesus showed the heart of the father. Remember he said "I do nothing without first hearing from my father" and "I only do what the father wills"and remember Jesus is "the exact representation of the father". Jesus was perfectly obedient to the father, so the fathers heart is also one of mercy!!
So we must interpret the scriptures through the word of no condemnation.
If this is how Jesus interpreted the scripture to a woman, guilty, under the old covenant. How does he deal with us now under the new covenant of grace, and the blood of Jesus when we sin?
If you read a scripture, and you feel condemned, youre applying the scripture incorrectly, and not seeing the word. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Rom 8:1
I mean there is either condemnation of there is not�and the bible clearly teaches that there is not, and Jesus clearly showed us His heart, and intention towards us. Jesus way is to love us to wholeness, not guilt us to rightness.
How does the story end?
Well Jesus loves all over her, her accusers leave one at a time, first with the older ones. The older ones you see were wiser. Maybe the older you get the more you realize you have messed up a lot. They could not throw the first stone.
After Jesus turned away her accusers, which is exactly what he does for us. The enemy the Devil accuses us day and night, and Jesus turns away his accusations. After he turned away her accusers, he says "go and sin no more".
This is Jesus model for life to us. I love you, I dont condemn you, I came to save you, now go sin no more.
This is the Fathers model for life to us, represented in Jesus, "What should I do and say Dad, and Ill do it"
The Holy Spirit is there to help us to live the life God had given us.
With the power of the trinity working inside of us, we are set up for victory!
So how to read your Bible�
1) Its for you. You can easily read and understand your bible. Why not start with John. Acts. Genesis.
2) Dont just read the scriptures. Interpret the scriptures through the word. Jesus is the word. Dont come to a book, but to a person. Jesus is perfect theology.
Prayer:
Lord help us read our bibles. Help us to find your heart in the scriptures. Bring revalation.
Lord, please help me to live without any condemnation, towards myself or others.
Lord, help me to go sin no more. To enjoy life in freedom, as you have bought it for me.
Fill me more and more with your presence and the HS, thank you Lord.
Thank you Jesus.
visit link download 
