Commonly Misinterpreted Passages

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Well, we've been going through systematic theology every Sunday night. We're going to change it up a little bit tonight.
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There'll be no service next Sunday night, so I wanted to do something different. And I'm actually quite excited about the message tonight.
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It's something new. I didn't get to announce it this morning. I forgot when we were singing, didn't the men sound good this morning?
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I just love to hear men sing the Bible truths, and I love to hear ladies as well, and I just was really touched by that.
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But I wanted to talk tonight about commonly misinterpreted passages. If you were to pick 10 or maybe 15 passages that are the most misinterpreted passages, which ones would be on your list?
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After all, we are told, at least as pastors and then by implication, you, the congregation, that we are to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God as a workman what?
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Not ashamed. We don't want to be shamed by God by handling inaccurately the word of truth.
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And 99 % of the errors that people come up with, if they're regenerate, come from the fact that they don't understand the context.
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And so we're going to look at several passages tonight, probably ones that you know about, but I wonder if you know the biblical context and therefore the biblical meaning.
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So before we start, and you can answer these out loud, can you think of any passages that are commonly known to be misinterpreted?
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Okay, very good, in Matthew 7, excellent. Matthew 16, 16, do you know the verse?
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Okay, is the church built on Peter, is the church built on the statement of Peter, is the church built on Christ, Petros Petros thing, good, that's a good one,
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Louis? Without vision people perish, I want to say that's
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Proverbs 29, 18 or 18, 29. Without the word of God, people perish literally. It's not without a vision statement from the elder board, that one's commonly misinterpreted.
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Yes, anyone else, I saw someone else's hand, Janet? Revelation 3 .20, that's on my list, so we're going to go there tonight, good.
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About Jesus and the church, yes, okay, good, that's on my list tonight as well,
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Bob? Good, that many think that, many misunderstand what those greater works are, is it kind or is it number, and very good, boy, these are some good ones, where were you a few days ago when
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I was trying to put the message together? Okay, yes, that's on my list, we'll get there, good, okay,
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Mark? Well we know that one's wrong, Mark the perfect man, that's only commonly mistranslated in the
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Schaeffer household, Mark the perfect man, yes, pardon me,
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John 10 .28, and do you know the verse? Good, just as I talked about this morning, that eternal life granted by God and those that have that could never perish and no one could take those blessed ones out of God's hand, good,
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Flo? John 3 .16, that's on my list tonight, good, Dale?
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Philippians 4, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, that's by the way a good verse to quote before you play football or rugby or something, we'll look at that one tonight, that's on my list, good, the nice part about tonight's message is if you don't like a particular verse that I'm talking about or that's not your interpretation, then the next one will be, or I can put it this way, if I don't offend you with one of these, then maybe
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I can offend you with a different one, and my goal tonight really is I want you to be keenly looking at the word of God and I want you to be able to say this, not
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Mike is right, but I want you to be able to say, if the text teaches a certain truth,
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I may have believed that for five years, 15 years, 30 years, my parents might even have believed that, but I will submit to the word of God and I will bow to its truth and the context will tell me what it is and I'm willing to say my last view is wrong, that's not a bad thing, is it?
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I so was refreshed when God saved me, my background was liberal Lutheranism and then
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I would be able to say, did I learn that from the Bible or did I learn that from my Lutheran catechism? Did God teach me that through the scriptures or did
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I learn that because Martin Luther said that? And I as a pastor don't want you to believe what you believe because I say it,
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I want you to believe what you believe because the word of God says it with clarity and with authority, yes?
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So tonight I have two things that I'm really after, one is I'd like to teach you the right interpretation and I find it very interesting and a provocative study, but number two,
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I want you to see how I come up with these so you can be a good student of the scriptures. When I preach
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I proclaim the goodness of God in his word, the exaltation of Christ Jesus verse by verse, but I'm also, if you haven't noticed, trying to teach you how to study your own
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Bibles. You learn how to study your Bible as the pastor preaches and so when the pastor preaches verse by verse you say, well that's how
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I should study, verse by verse by verse, not this kind of hunting and pecking and nothing has a context and just weave all these words together.
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And so tonight I think you'll be encouraged and hopefully you'll have to think as well and what
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I'm after is what does God say whether I like it or whether I don't? So with that said, let's do the first commonly misinterpreted passage and turn your
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Bibles to Exodus chapter 7, these aren't any rank, I just came up with a few and you could probably name a few more.
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So, Exodus chapter 7, very, very misinterpreted and I think basically we have a problem here because we don't like the sovereignty of God, although we like it in ourselves.
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When I used to play in the sandbox next door at the Rau's, Leo Rau had several children and we would play in the sandbox.
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One thing about children in a sandbox, they shine forth the image and likeness of God and they act like little sovereigns.
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We act like little sovereigns, don't we? And I would pick which team was good, which team was bad, who lived, who died, who the hero was,
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I could control that little civil war that was in the sandbox behind Leo and Darlene Rau's house and I just would say, if I watched a kid do that, look at how they're reflecting the image of God as sovereign.
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Spurgeon used to say, one thing men hate though is they hate the sovereignty of God if they're unregenerate.
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But it's everywhere and Exodus chapter 7 verse 13, I think you know the context, it says, yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he did not listen to them as the
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Lord Yahweh had said. Now, who hardened Pharaoh's heart first?
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Did Pharaoh harden his heart first or did God harden his heart? Or what's this all hardening the heart business?
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Is that fair? Is it good? Is it wise? Why would God do something like that? Anyone? What's the typical response to, well,
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Pharaoh's heart was hardened? I know,
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I know Luke's saying something but I'm trying not to look at him. Well, even before the confrontation started, for those that have the theology that God would never harden someone's heart until they harden it first, go a little earlier to Exodus chapter 4.
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Exodus chapter 4 and Exodus chapter 7 talk about how God was the initial hardener.
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Exodus chapter 4 verse 21, then the Lord said to Moses, when you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which
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I have put in your power, but I will harden his heart so that he will not let my people go.
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God as the causing agent of the hardening. Go three chapters in advance to Exodus chapter 7, back there again, but still before the verse 13 where Pharaoh's heart was hardened.
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I want you to see that the mover and the shaker, the primary cause, is God and it's okay to just leave it that way.
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We don't have to make excuses for God. What does the passage teach? Certainly, Pharaoh did harden his heart, but we will see that it's been predicted by God that will happen before the confrontation even started, verse 3 of Exodus 7.
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But I will harden Pharaoh's heart that I may multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
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You see, when it comes to God, God does things for his own glory, whether it is the suffering of his people as they suffer with the result of the praise and honor to God, or when it comes to our salvation, it's all about God.
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And here God is going to put on all his displays of multitude of signs and wonders, but Pharaoh's heart was going to be hardened.
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You say, well, you know, I don't buy that. It's the whole Pharaoh thing. And what about free will and everything else? Let me just read a few other verses,
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Deuteronomy 2 .30. But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land.
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Why do you think he wouldn't let Israel go through the land in Deuteronomy 2 .30? Any guesses?
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Why would that king do that? For the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate in order to deliver him into your hand as he is today.
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How about Joshua chapter 11 verses 19 and 20? Let me read those for you. There was not a city which made peace with the sons of Israel except the
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Hivites living in Gibeon. They took them all in battle for it was of the Lord to harden their hearts to meet
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Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them just as the
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Lord commanded Moses. The godness of God shows that he's sovereign over everything.
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And my plea today is if you see passages that just show the utter otherness of God, it's okay not to have to tie those up in a neat package.
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How do you respond to this verse? Judges 14 .4, however, his father and mother did not know that it was of the
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Lord for he was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
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Who's that referring to? Can you imagine Samson? I think Samson acted righteously in these several passages in Judges 14.
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However, his father and mother did not know it was of the Lord. Remember what he said to his father and his mother? Remember that in Hebrew translated?
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Give me a woman. Give me that lady. Do you see how dishonorable he was to his father and mother? 1
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Samuel 2 .25, if one man sins against another, God will mediate for him. But if a man sins against the
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Lord, who can intercede for him? But they would not listen to the voice of their father for the
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Lord desired to put them to death. God is sovereign.
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He's sovereign over everything. In Romans 9, you can study sometime to show that God is the potter who takes the clay and he does whatever he pleases.
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And I don't want you to be shocked when you read these verses that somehow go against the grain of our humanity because that's just what they do.
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We're human and we just recoil. And sometimes we don't like it that God's in charge and we want to know why and how.
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And sometimes we just don't need to know. God clearly hardened Pharaoh's heart. Questions?
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Okay. Let's go to the next one. John 3 .16, please. John 3 .16, commonly mistranslated.
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Do I believe in John 3 .16? Yes. Do I love
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John 3 .16? Yes. But as John MacArthur would say, the meaning of Scripture is the
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Scripture. What it means is really the Scripture. And so what does it really say? Do we have any young kids besides my kids?
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I'm not trying to do some kind of... Do any of the sons of Guido know John 3 .16
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by heart? Would you like to stand up and say that? Okay. Loudly, please. Good job.
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Do you believe that verse? Yeah, I believe that verse too.
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The best way to look at it though is in context, but there are a few things that we can't quite get out of context.
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So let's just see. Again, we have Nicodemus with the new birth. And as I said this morning, if you go back to John 3, he says in verse 3, if you're not born again, you cannot even see the kingdom of God.
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Nicodemus understands the analogy to some degree, at least with the born talk. In verse 4, how can a man be born when he's old?
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He didn't understand it fully, obviously. And Jesus said in verse 5, unless one is born of water and the
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Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the
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Spirit is the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again.
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And again, it's not an imperative. It's a statement of fact. It's something that you can't do.
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So Jesus says, you've got to have this be done to you, essentially. He behooves you to have this done to you.
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And he talks about the sovereignty of God in verse 8. How can these things be, verse 9?
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Are you the teacher of Israel and you don't understand these things? Before I read any farther, let me read to you the
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Greek text, not in Greek, but transliteration, of John 3 ,16. And you tell me what's different from your translations.
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As you look at your verse or you remember the verse in your head, I'm going to read it in Greek and you tell me what's different.
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So for loved God the world, that His only begotten
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Son He gave, in order that all those believing in Him should not perish, but would have life eternal.
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For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that those believing in Him, what?
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Should not perish, but have everlasting life. What's the difference between John 3 ,16 in your
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Bible and John 3 ,16 that I just read from the Greek text? Whosoever is not in the
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Greek text. If I put whosoever in the text, does it change the meaning?
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What does it change it to and from? Luke? Okay, maybe that's it.
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Maybe it has to do with the general call and election. Good. Like what?
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Good job buddy, you're a deep thinker. You know what Luke's been doing lately is he just kind of follows me around when
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I'm talking to the men and discussing certain Bible issues and he'll say afterwards, Daddy, what's a hyper -dispensationalist?
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That's good. A hyper is anything that I'm not. It goes too far, that's the answer to that.
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But whosoever believes in Him should not perish, friends, the whosoever is not in the passage.
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Those believing in Him should not perish. But, if you go back a little earlier, the theology in the passage talks about whosoever.
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I just wish they wouldn't have jammed it into 3 ,16. I don't want the Bible to be translated theologically,
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I just want the Bible to be translated. What do I mean by that? You say, I don't understand. Verse 14,
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I think that would help us. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, remember what happened there? Anybody who looks, what?
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Lives. Anybody. Anybody and everybody who looked would live. Even so, the
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Son of Man must be lifted up. As the serpent was lifted up, so Jesus, crucified, was lifted up. So that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.
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So that whoever believes in Him has eternal life. And so what they do, they take the idea that if you look to God and believe in Him, you believe in His Son, you'll be saved.
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Whoever, Jew or Gentile, Nicodemus or the woman at the well, if you look to Jesus, you'll be saved.
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But John 3 ,16 does not amplify that. John 3 ,16 focuses it in on the security of those who do believe.
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If you're a whosoever that believes this gospel, God will save you to the utter end. So instead of making it assurance and surety, it again kind of opens it up in terms of this whosoever.
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Is it true that whosoever believes in the name of the Lord shall be saved? The answer is yes, but John 3 ,16 is not trying to make that point.
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It's trying to say, if you're a whosoever that did believe, you in fact have assurance that you will never be destroyed, but you have, present tense, eternal life.
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So my beef is only this. When you translate the Bible, I just want you to try to be as clear as you can without putting your theology in.
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But you know, when people translate Bibles, sometimes they don't want to buck the system. And if you mess with John 3 ,16, you're really messing with something.
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And so we better not translate it any other way. We just better keep with what we're going with, because if you're buying a new
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Bible and you get the new ESV or the new NET or whatever it is, you say, well, I wonder how they translate some of my favorite verses.
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Oh, my favorite verse is John 3 ,16, and you read it, and it says, For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten
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Son, that those believing in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. You think, well, that doesn't sound like a good translation. And so they buckle.
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It is true that whoever looks to the cross will live. If you believe in the
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Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. But those believing in Him, they have assurance unto eternal life.
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It makes a world of difference. So I don't want to have the theology of the whosoever jammed in from verses 14 and 15 into 16 when it doesn't need to be.
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All right, next one. I feel like I want to close or something. Close the deal.
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2 Chronicles 7 ,14. Let's do that. 2 Chronicles 7 ,14. So far, we've seen two examples that you could really get the understanding if you would read the entire context before and after.
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With Exodus, if you read before, you say, well, God is going to harden somebody's heart when Pharaoh's heart is hardened.
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Oh, okay, God's in charge. And secondarily, we see John 3 ,16. If we just read 14 and 15, we could see kind of context.
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And we might have to have an interlinear. That one's a little tougher because of the Greek. But this one is certainly easy to see as well with context.
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2 Chronicles 7 ,14. I usually see this at Fourth of July in America.
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And my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face, turn from their wicked ways, and I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
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Do you believe that verse? Do you believe that verse is for America originally?
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Primarily? How would we know that? We read the verse and we say, well, we want to understand what it says.
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We want to understand what it means. How would you figure it out if you don't have any Hebrew books, you don't have any commentaries, you don't have some kind of concordance, you don't have a
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Vines Dictionary of Words, you don't have anything else, and you just think, I don't know how to figure this out. What would I do?
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Good, I start at the beginning. How about let's start in chapter 7, verse 1.
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That might be good. We don't read 2
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Chronicles that much. And here, it's this amazing thing. 2 Chronicles 7, verse 1, when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of Yahweh filled the house.
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That is absolutely amazing to me. 40 years earlier,
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David prays, same thing. Fire comes down. 1
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Chronicles 21, the David built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and he called to the
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Lord and he answered Him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
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Father like Son. As God inaugurated these sacrifices,
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He did the same thing with His Son. Verse 2, the priest could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the
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Lord filled the Lord's house. That's amazing when the priest can't get in. All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the
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Lord upon the house, what would you do? On the pavement.
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When you study the word worship, primarily it is on your face. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground and they worshiped and they gave praise to the
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Lord saying, truly He's good. Truly His loving kindness is everlasting. We need to read 2
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Chronicles more. That's amazing. Verse 4, then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the
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Lord. You know they did. King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22 ,000 oxen, 120 ,000 sheep.
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Thus the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. These were offerings to be eaten by the people and on the basis of what we'll see, 15 days at least, full feasting.
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The priest stood at their post and the Levites also with the instruments of the music to the Lord which King David had made for giving praise to the
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Lord for His loving kindness is everlasting. Whenever he gave praise by their means while the priest on the other side blew trumpets and all
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Israel was standing. Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the
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Lord and there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings because the bronze altar which
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Solomon had made was not able to contain the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fat.
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So Solomon observed the feast at that time for seven days and all Israel with him a very great assembly who came from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt.
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On the eighth day they had a solemn assembly for the dedication of the altar. They observed seven days and the feast seven days.
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Down in verse 10, and rejoicing and happy of heart of the goodness of the Lord that had been shown to David and now to Solomon and to his people
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Israel. Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord, remember David wasn't able to, and the king's palace and successfully completed all that he had planned on doing in the house of the
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Lord and in his palace. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice if I shut up the heavens so that there's no rain or if I command the locusts to devour the land or if I send pestilence among my people and my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then
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I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer offered in this palace.
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I'll be paying attention for now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever and my eyes and my heart will be there perpetually.
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As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked even to do all according to what
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I've commanded you and will keep my statutes and my ordinances Solomon then I will establish your royal throne as I have covenanted with your father
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David saying you shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel. God bless
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America. I mean where do we get that? If you're 10 years old you know the audience has nothing to do with America.
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By principle could you say if America is submissive to God and they're just in their dealings and they're righteous and we become a
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Christian nation whatever that is will God pour out His blessings? Well we don't know.
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We know God blesses righteousness. We know if there's a believer and an unbeliever married together that the unbeliever gets kind of an overflow of blessings that are given to the believer but this has nothing to do with the
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United States of America. This has to do with what? The glory of God and Solomon and the temple and you read that and you think that is absolutely amazing.
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How could I get that for America? I'll tell you how I got it. That's the promise from me today.
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Do you do that? I need a promise from God. I know people that do this. I need a word from you
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God. You know which one I just pointed to? I kid you not.
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This is not planned. The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath and fire will devour them Psalm 21 .9
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Wait a second. I don't need that word from you God. Let's see. If I keep flipping all the way over I might kind of get to the
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Abrahamic covenant or something good. A word of God to you can never be just lifted out of context.
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There is a context. The meaning of the Scripture is the Scripture. And when we just kind of throw these verses out it's almost worse than the
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Old Testament because we've got the Israel issue and Sinai and all these other things. We have to be careful.
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All you have to do is read. And wasn't that fun just reading it in 2 Chronicles chapter 7? I had fun just thinking about what they were doing in the fire of God and the glory.
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Okay, let's go to another one. You know this one very well but we'll go there anyway. Matthew chapter 18. Matthew chapter 18.
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Well, you know what? Let's save that. Let's go to Revelation chapter 20. If I have enough time
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I'll do Matthew 18. We're already familiar with that. Revelation chapter 3 verse 20.
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Of course, I love the verse. Everything about it I love. I just don't love the wrong interpretation because if you've got the wrong interpretation that's not what
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God said. The meaning of the Scripture is the Scripture. The right meaning. Not what I think. Not what
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I like. Not what I've been taught. How many people have memorized this verse? In what context have you memorized it?
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Not the right one. Okay, there's a verse that we would give to unbelievers.
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And probably taught that with good motives. We're not trying to say somebody's got bad motives. We're just saying that once you do know the real meaning then don't go back to teaching it the wrong way.
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Just say, God, repentance is a change of mind. God, you had one intention when you wrote it and I was saying the wrong thing.
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I wanted to preach the Gospel but I wasn't doing it properly. God, I repent. I change my mind. I confess that it was sinful because if I teach something that's not biblical it's obviously sinful.
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When Sproul and MacArthur get into a debate on baptism R .C. Sproul is correct to say if I have the wrong view of baptism if I, R .C.
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Sproul, believe in infant baptism and I am not right it is sin. And the same could be said for MacArthur's view.
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And so, what does it really mean and say? How would you figure it out? Well, everything has a context.
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Revelation 3, verse 14. Let's find out. And to the angel or the messenger of the church in Latticea write.
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Here we're going to write this letter to these people at this church. The people around them were
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Zeus worshippers. They were pleasure mad. They were hedonists. They were club med vacation people all the way.
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They had three theaters and huge large circus area. 30 ,000 seats. They wanted to be entertained.
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And here, the angel of the church says to the angel of the church in Latticea.
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John is supposed to write the amen. As Ryrie said, the one who guarantees confirmation and certainty of all he says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God says this.
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Here's the problem. Verse 15. I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot.
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I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold,
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I will spit you out of my mouth. Maybe their slogan was moderation in all things.
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Don't want to go too far and be extreme. Just kind of right in the center. You've got to be balanced. Balance is good.
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And Jesus is saying through his messenger, it's either hot or cold. There were springs nearby.
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In Heropolis, they had hot springs. In Colossae, they had cold springs. But here, actually in the town, they had this kind of dirty, lukewarm, kind of tepid spring.
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And when visitors would come, it was said that they would spit it out because it didn't taste good. And here, this church is not fervently receiving
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Christ and worshiping Him, nor are they saying, you know, we hate Him. They're just kind of in the middle. And you're either for Christ or you're against Him.
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And it says here, I'm going to spit you out of my mouth. Do you know what it literally says? For those that are lukewarm,
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I will vomit. This is nauseating. I'll spew out.
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This is very unlike Christ, by the way, because Jesus was very fervent in His zeal.
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Zeal for my house, Father's house will consume me. He was passionate. And then it says, because you say, they're all talk, right?
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Just like a lot of professing believers. I'm rich. I'm spiritually rich.
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I'm wealthy. I have need of nothing, either spiritually or materially.
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We've got everything we need. And then listen to this indictment. And you do not know that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
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Can you imagine that? How would you like to have that set of your church? That'll go well as seeker -sensitive churches.
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Do you see any praise here? You know, there's lots of churches in this area in chapter 2 and chapter 3.
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I don't see any word of commendation. I don't see any praises. They're spiritually lukewarm.
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They drink lukewarm water. And here is some prodding, verse 18. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire that you may become rich.
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You say you're rich, but you're not rich at all. You've got an industry in this land, and it has to do with gold.
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But you don't really have any gold because I'm talking about spiritual gold and white garments that you may clothe yourself.
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You make a lot of wool around here. You think you've got plenty of good clothing. You don't have any clothing because I'm talking about spiritual clothing.
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You have none of it. The shame of your nakedness might not be revealed.
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And I salve to anoint your eyes that you may see. You're spiritually blind. One man said that this city was a center of medicines, specifically kind of a tablet powdered and you would put it with water and smear it on your eyes if you had eye problems.
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You think you're the industry leader for eye problem medicine, and you're as blind as a bat.
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It's like saying to Pittsburgh years ago, you think you've got steel? You have no spiritual steel even though that's your industry.
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Steel everywhere. Verse 19, those whom I love,
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I reprove and discipline. Be zealous. Be hot. Don't be lukewarm. Therefore, and repent.
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And now, in the same context, behold, I stand at the door and knock.
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I'm outside of you apostate church. I'm knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
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I'll come into him and will dine with him and he with me. 411,
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I'm not in your church. What is a church that Jesus is not in? It's not a church.
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Wake up. He overcomes. It's not too late to repent. Verse 21, I will grant him to sit down with me on my throne.
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I've also overcome and sat down with my father on his throne. Pay attention. He who has an ear, let him hear what the
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Spirit says to the churches. There's no believers in there. He's knocking.
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You're bankrupt. Respond. Believe. Now, how would you figure this out if you didn't look at context?
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I think we can figure it out even if we look at verse 20. This is worth the price tonight coming.
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What do you see strange here? And I'll try to read it with inflection so you get it. Pay attention please. Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
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If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.
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Now let me read it another way. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
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I will come into him. Do you have a space between the in and the to?
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Is there a difference? Come in to him or come into him? You say,
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I didn't really want a grammar lesson tonight. No, but God knew you needed one.
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I shall come in to him. King James, New American Standard, Revised Standard Version.
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Probably, does anybody have the two words together? I -N -T -O with any translation that you have?
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I don't think it's out there. In to space in between. Come in to.
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Actually in Greek, Daniel Wallace would say, quote, however, spatially, pros means toward, not into.
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In all eight instances in the New Testament when these words are used, the meaning is come in toward before a person, i .e.
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enter a building, house, so as to be in the presence of someone, never penetration into the person himself or herself.
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In some circumstances, such a view would not only be absurd, but inappropriate. Cross -reference Mark 6, 15,
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Luke 1, Acts 10, 11, 16, 17, and 28. He's not saying he's going to go into somebody and we get this whole thing, except Jesus into your what?
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Heart. That Jesus is out there standing like a gentleman and if you let him in, he's going to go inside of you.
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He's standing outside of an apostate church saying, you know what? Somebody believes in here and I'm going to come inside.
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We get the same kind of deal when too often when we read the Bible, it'll say, a man went into his wife.
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And we put the into together, I -N -T -O, when you read your
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Bibles, it says, in space to. Now if he walks into his wife and she's in the tent and it's the wedding night, well then certainly there are other connotations.
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But here we just look at in and to with the space in between and we automatically, the way we read it, we just go into.
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Jesus doesn't come into our heart in the way that we say in modern evangelicalism, except Jesus in your heart.
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No. And if that's true, it's still not the context. Here's what
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I would say. When you preach the gospel of someone, why don't you just use biblical terms? And never is it said, except Jesus in your heart, but you could say things like this.
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Repent, trust, turn, forsake, flee, believe.
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Speak about who Jesus is of course. Revelation 3 .20 has nothing to do with individual salvation where a person, a man or woman, invites
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Jesus into their heart and Jesus comes spatially into their heart and dwells within their left ventricle.
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It doesn't happen. He's outside the church. There are no believers in here.
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They're all lukewarm and Jesus is saying, you know, I'll go into that church when there are believers in there.
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Revelation 3 .5 is my next passage. Boy, we're running out of time quickly. Revelation 3 .5.
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By the way, if you've used Revelation 3 .20 for evangelism because you love the lost, I commend you for your love for the lost.
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Keep preaching. Just don't use that verse. There are also theological issues with that verse that Jesus won't come in until you invite him and everything else, but we won't go there.
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Revelation 3 .5. Boy, this is a good one. Revelation 3 .5. People use this all the time to say that you can lose your salvation.
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If you can, you can prove it from this verse. Revelation 3 .5. He who overcomes, an overcomer is a believer.
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John's writing this. John has also written about believers who overcome in 1 John. He who overcomes, a
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Christian, shall thus be clothed in white garments. And what a great picture. We could talk about the righteousness of Christ in Isaiah 61.
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And I will not erase his name from the book of life. And I'll confess his name before my father and before his angels.
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See, your name can be erased. He says he's not gonna do it here, but he could.
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Well, how do we figure it out? What's happening here? Well, let's just go up to chapter 3 verse 1 and just see the context.
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And here we have this church called Sardis. I'm trying to show you by example. We wanna just see the context because that will be helpful.
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Here we have the angel of the church in Sardis. John, I'd like you to write, he who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this,
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I know your deeds, that you have a name that you're alive, but can you imagine, you are dead.
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Great reputation, you're dead. Dead as a doornail. Some churches in France are actually museums now.
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I've been told that the Westminster Abbey, they have the famous dead buried under the floor.
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One man said that the difference between our churches and Westminster Abbey is that they bury their dead under the floor while we set up our dead in the pews.
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Wake up! Verse 2, strengthen the things that remain. You're dead. You need to wake up.
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You're at a picnic and you're at a funeral. Really? You think you're at a picnic? No. You're at a celebration, you think?
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No. Wake up. For I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of my
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God. It's one thing what the church down the street thinks of you, but here's Jesus, the groom of the church.
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Think I'm coming to your worship service. It's awake. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard and keep it.
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Repent. If, therefore, you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, silent, night, you're unaware, and you will not know at what hour
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I will come upon you. There's some praise, but you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments.
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What an illustrative way to talk about that. And they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
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They have the worthiness of Christ. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I'll confess his name before my
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Father and before his angels. There are some of you that are so dead, but I'm telling you, the ones that are alive, I'm never going to erase their name from the book.
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I'm going to confess his name before my Father and before his angels. Does anybody know what figure of speech this is?
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I will not erase his name from the book of life. Are there figures of speech in the Bible, or do you read the
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Bible literally? You're probably that kind of congregation that reads the Bible literally, aren't you?
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You're one of those, aren't you? Reading the Bible literally means we read naturally, normally, plainly with figures of speech.
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Do we believe in similes? Yes. Do we believe in metaphors? Do we believe in poetry?
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Yes. And do we believe in this figure of speech? What is this figure of speech? Anybody remember?
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It starts with an L. Let me read to you another place this figure of speech is used, and you tell me what's happening then in Revelation.
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This figure of speech is used in Ephesians 4, I believe, verse 20. He's talking about depravity in verses 17, 18, and 19, and impurity, greediness, callousness, sensuality, ignorance, darkness, hardness.
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And here's the figure of speech in verse 20, Ephesians 4. But you did not learn
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Christ in this way. What figure of speech is that? It's elitist.
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Didn't you know that? A lot of good, the public education I received in America got me.
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It's elitist. Go home and type it in Google. Elitist. And it's stating something in a hyperbolic, positive way by using the negative.
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You will never have your name erased. This does not mean your name could be erased. You will never have it.
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In fact, it's not, oh, I could possibly have my name erased. It's saying you cannot have your name erased.
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But if you've got a mindset to say, no matter what, I think you're going to have to find some place where I can lose my salvation.
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This sounds as good as I can get. We can't do that. We just come to the text and we just let it say what it says.
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If you're going to lose your salvation, you can't prove it from this passage. You're going to have to go somewhere else. Aren't you glad about this, by the way?
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I will not erase your name from the book of life and I will confess His name before my
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Father and before His angels. What a promise that is for believers, for believers even in a dead church, of which
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I'm glad we're not. All right, let's see. We should probably do one more.
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It's always better to prepare too much than not enough. All right, let's do Philippians 4, verse 3.
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And we'll do the arrest at another time. Get ready to be convicted. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
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Philippians 4, verse 3. Kind of like the story of the two boxers and the one went in the corner and did the sign of the cross and the young kid said to the dad,
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Dad, does that work? And the dad said to the kid, Yeah, if you can punch. And the same thing.
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This is kind of like the sportsman's verse, the sportswoman's verse. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
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Can you? What's the verse talking about? First thing I'd start asking myself is, Who wrote
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Philippians? Why did He write Philippians? What occasion did He write? What's going on in the context?
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What's happening? What's the theme of Philippians? There's all kinds of ways you can do it. In Philippians chapter 4, it's important for us to know the context.
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Philippians chapter 1, 2, 3, and 4. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
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I don't talk about money much at this church. So let me talk about your financial contentment right now.
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Are you financially content? Do you want a little bit more because you've got those extra bills?
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Gas prices are up. Heating prices are up. I just got a month heating bill with the gas oil people that I already contracted with to keep the prices under.
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It's like $439 for a month. What am
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I going to do? How am I going to pay those bills? How am I going to provide for my family? What about next month?
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If Jesus doesn't come back this month, then I've got next month bills to pay. Philippians chapter 4, verse 10,
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But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.
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What's the whole context there? The church of Philippi was going to give something to Paul, but they couldn't, and now they finally did.
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Large or small, it didn't matter. They loved Paul. They loved preachers. They were generous to Paul.
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Paul says, I'm glad. I rejoice for your financial gift. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances
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I am. You could go search through 2 Corinthians and other passages to see how bad
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Paul had it. I know how to get along with humble means. I didn't have much.
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I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
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What's your secret, Paul? What's your kind of Keswick secret? Spiritual jump start.
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What is that? I could do all things through Him who strengthens me. Does the all things refer to what?
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What does the all things refer to? What is the nearest antecedent? What's it closest to? I can do all things.
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Well, we could keep reading if we wanted to. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.
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You gave according to my need. Verse 15, you yourselves also know,
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Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving.
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But you alone. Other churches had helped, but this particular case when
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I needed help, only you were there to help me. Using business terminology, an account of giving, an account of receiving.
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Ledger talk. For even in Thessalonica, you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Money. Not that I seek the gift itself, verse 17, but I seek for the profit, which increases to your account.
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You get blessed, by the way, for giving to God, giving to me.
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I've received everything in full, verse 18, and have abundance. I'm amply supplied.
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Having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma. Giving. Acceptable sacrifice.
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Giving. Well -pleasing to God. Giving. When it comes to giving, then my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory, in Christ Jesus.
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And Paul says, by the way, for that kind of talk, not to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.
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What's the context of all these verses? Money. Giving. Gifts.
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And right there in verse 13, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Now, is it true that if God calls you to be a husband, that by the grace of God, the
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Spirit of God in you, He can give you the strength to try to love your wives as Christ loved the church.
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Is that true? Yes. But it's only a principle here in verse 13. Primarily, it has nothing to do with that.
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Excuse me. Wow. Remind me of the time Easter, I think, seven years ago when
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I was preaching. We had a bunch of Easter lilies here. And I could see that bug coming out of that Easter lily go in slow motion towards my mouth.
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And the church was packed and all these unbelievers and everything. And I could just see that thing kind of like a dive bombing, kind of barrel roll, the
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Red Baron coming right at me. And I just had to keep going. What was I to say? And that thing went right down my throat.
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Just like when you're riding motorcycles. Tastes like celery. What am
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I doing? The whole context gives it away in each and every case.
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From Pharaoh, if you back up a chapter or a few chapters, whether you go to John and you kind of look at, okay, here's what's going on.
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What could he be saying? That one's a little harder. Revelation chapter 320, the context just gives it away.
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When you study your Bible at home, do you just pick a book and go through it? Or are you just kind of doing the hop, skip, and jump through the
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Bible? You're more apt to not understand the Bible if you just do all the jumping around, just opening that thing up and say, well,
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I think I'll read there. Read the Bible as you hear it preached. Start at a passage, work your way through.
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Cumulative. Understand it. We have so many study Bibles. If you read at the beginning of Matthew, why
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Matthew was written, to whom it was written, it just helps you understand the whole book. You can't get 2
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Timothy's understanding unless you know, excuse me, 1 Timothy's understanding unless you read chapter 3, verse 14 and 15, the purpose of the book.
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So can you do all things through Christ who strengthens you, whatever he calls you to do? Yes, but by principle you better teach that in Philippians chapter 4.
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Primarily it has to do with your financial contentment that God will provide everything you need, no matter if the oil prices go up to $3 a gallon or whatever it is,
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God will provide for you. And he can teach you contentment. And you can learn contentment by God strengthening you and teaching you, just like he did
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Paul. Isn't that good? It's contextual. It has nothing to do with everything else.
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Well, I hope tonight that I've stimulated your thinking and I hope mainly that I've tried to reinforce from the pulpit that context means everything.
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And without context, this is no different than the Bible code books that people have because you can get it to say anything.
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And everything we need in here, God has given to us and we don't need to get some watered down, man -centered, psychological translation.
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We need to get a good literal translation, word for word, and say,
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God, teach me. I'm listening. And God will honor that. Well, let's just close in prayer.
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Father, we would acknowledge that you're good and great and that you've given us everything pertaining to life and godliness in this very book.
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And Lord, you have blessed us immeasurably by having a book that we can have in our hands.
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And you call your servant in Psalm 1, blessed, who meditates on this day and night.
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You call your servant, prosperous, who meditates on this day and night. Lord, we can't just try of our own will tomorrow to get up and study your word.
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So we'd ask that you'd help us by your spirit's indwelling strength and power to prod us along, to help us to get up early if need be, to help us have minds that are right in the morning as we want to examine everything in light of scripture and in the light of the great gift given by you, the best gift of all, the forgiveness of sins found alone in the risen