Preach the Word
Bible Study Time 5-6-07
Bible Study Time 5-6-07
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he said:
2 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJ)
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
So Paul charged Timothy with the responsibility of preaching the word. He said to preach the word when it’s popular and when it’s not popular. Use it to convince, rebuke, and exhort.
Paul had been given many new revelations, but this was not something that was new. The word of God has always been the focus of God’s relationship with man. That’s why John called Jesus Christ the Word.
John 1:1 (NKJ)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus Christ was to be the member of the Godhead who would communicate with man.
The Law was given through Moses at Mt. Sinai, but then forty years later, just before the children of Israel entered the promised land, Moses reminded the people of their experience at Mt. Sinai. He said:
Deuteronomy 5:4-5 (NKJ)
4 "The LORD talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire.
5 "I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD . . .
Then he said:
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (NKJ)
11 " . . . this commandment which I command you today, it is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.
12 "It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
13 "Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
14 "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
Moses stood between God and the people even as did all the other prophets who followed Moses. When they spoke, they said, “Hear the word of the Lord.”
It’s interesting that when Jesus came, he did not stand up as the other prophets did and say, “Hear the word of the Lord.” No, He simply spoke, and as He spoke to the people, they sensed that Jesus was speaking the word of the Lord because He was the Lord.
The prophets of the Old Testament spoke on the Lord’s behalf, but when Jesus came, He spoke for Himself. And as He spoke, the people beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. With a meek and gentle spirit Jesus said:
Matthew 5:3-5 (NKJ)
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
When He spoke, the wind and the seas obeyed His voice, and when He spoke the demons obeyed as well. As Jesus spoke the people could sense that they were listening to the word of God. Rather than speaking as one of the prophets, Jesus quoted the prophets. When He went to the synagogue in Nazareth, he stood up and read from Isaiah 61, saying:
Luke 4:18-22 (NKJ)
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth . . .
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus, and the Bible says that Jesus rebuked them, saying:
Luke 24:25-27 (NKJ)
25 . . . "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
In doing this, the Lord revealed the place that expository teaching would have from that time forward. After Christ’s ascension, the apostles went out preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and they spent much of their time teaching a proper interpretation of the Old Testament scriptures.
Time and time again Peter and Paul went back to Moses and the Prophets to prove that Jesus Christ really was the promised Messiah. Paul said that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
When Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost, he pointed first to Joel, Chapter 2, and said that the miracles of that day were a fulfillment of Joel’s prophesy. When the apostles spoke in tongues and some accused them of being drunk, Peter stood up and said:
Acts 2:14-21 (NKJ)
14 . . . "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
15 "For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
16 "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
Well, Peter used this opportunity to help people get saved, and he did so by giving an exposition on Psalms, Chapter 16 and Psalms, Chapter 110. He started by saying:
Acts 2:22-28 (NKJ)
22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--
23 "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
24 "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. (Now notice this.)
25 "For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in (Hell), nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of joy in Your presence.'
After quoting Psalms 16, Peter goes on to explain the true meaning of that passage. Peter tells them what Psalm 16 does not mean, and he also explains what it does mean. Then he compares it with Psalm 110. He says:
Acts 2:29-36 (NKJ)
29 "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,
31 "he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in (Hell), nor did His flesh see corruption.
32 "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
33 "Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. (Now watch how he uses Psalm 110.)
34 "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand,
35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
What a great job of expository teaching Peter did here! Under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit, Peter took two passages of scripture and interpreted them in the light of the circumstances of that day.
Some teachers today make the mistake of thinking that the Bible is too hard for the average person to understand. They say that all we really need to do is take verses of scripture and try to apply them to our lives.
But look what happened when Peter dedicated himself to the interpretation of Psalm 16 and Psalm 110. The Bible says that after Peter gave his message, the people were cut to the heart and about 3000 people got saved.
We know that the word of God is quick and powerful and shaper than any two-edged sword, but let me tell you that it’s greatest power can and will be made manifest as we dedicate ourselves to the proper interpretation of the scriptures.
Preachers, teachers and politicians will all from time to time quote the Bible simply to make a point. One such instance was June the 11th of 1963. On that day John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard in Alabama to ensure that black students would be allowed to register for classes at the University of Alabama.
A few hours later, he pleaded with Americans from the Oval Office to live by the Golden Rule. He said, “The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.”
I think this is a great example of making a point by using a verse of scripture. Jesus was not specifically talking about desegregation when He spoke those words, but it was certainly a good application of Jesus’ words.
Lyndon Johnson was a master of political compromise, and he believed in ruling by consensus. One of his favorite quotes was, “Come, let us reason together.” This was from Isaiah, Chapter 1, and I’m sure that Isaiah had no thought for the political processes of America when he wrote those words, but it was a good application of Isaiah’s words.
Obviously, applications such as these can be a very effective way of making a point, but the real effectiveness of these applications can only be realized after a proper interpretation of the passages. When Jesus gave the golden rule, He was discussing the two greatest commandments of the Law which were love God with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
In Isaiah, Chapter 1, it was the Lord who was pleading with the rebellious nation of Israel, saying,
Isaiah 1:18 (NKJ)
18 "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
As I mentioned earlier, Peter made sure that the people understood what Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 were really talking about. He wasn’t just using verses of scripture to drive home a point in his speech. He was teaching his audience what those verses were really talking about, and when the eyes of the people were opened to truth of God’s word, they were moved by the Spirit of God. They believed, they repented and their lives were changed forever.
So Peter and the apostles went out after the resurrection and ascension of Christ to teach the word of God to the children of Israel. They taught them that Jesus Christ fulfilled every Old Testament prophesy concerning the Messiah.
In Acts, Chapter 6, we see that the church in Jerusalem had grown into a large assembly of believers, and we also see that they were all living together as they waited for the Lord’s return. When a controversy arose concerning the distribution of food, Peter had to set some priorities. Let’s read what happened starting at verse 1:
Acts 6:1-4 (NKJ)
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
Clearly, Peter understood the importance of teaching a proper interpretation of the word of God. Only with such an understanding can believers apply the word in a way that is accurate, appropriate and blessed by the Lord.
Well, it’s been a pleasure studying with you this morning during our weekly Bible Study Time. I trust that the Lord will bless you as you worship and learn about Him today.
Church links:
2 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJ)
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
So Paul charged Timothy with the responsibility of preaching the word. He said to preach the word when it’s popular and when it’s not popular. Use it to convince, rebuke, and exhort.
Paul had been given many new revelations, but this was not something that was new. The word of God has always been the focus of God’s relationship with man. That’s why John called Jesus Christ the Word.
John 1:1 (NKJ)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus Christ was to be the member of the Godhead who would communicate with man.
The Law was given through Moses at Mt. Sinai, but then forty years later, just before the children of Israel entered the promised land, Moses reminded the people of their experience at Mt. Sinai. He said:
Deuteronomy 5:4-5 (NKJ)
4 "The LORD talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire.
5 "I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD . . .
Then he said:
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (NKJ)
11 " . . . this commandment which I command you today, it is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.
12 "It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
13 "Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
14 "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
Moses stood between God and the people even as did all the other prophets who followed Moses. When they spoke, they said, “Hear the word of the Lord.”
It’s interesting that when Jesus came, he did not stand up as the other prophets did and say, “Hear the word of the Lord.” No, He simply spoke, and as He spoke to the people, they sensed that Jesus was speaking the word of the Lord because He was the Lord.
The prophets of the Old Testament spoke on the Lord’s behalf, but when Jesus came, He spoke for Himself. And as He spoke, the people beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. With a meek and gentle spirit Jesus said:
Matthew 5:3-5 (NKJ)
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
When He spoke, the wind and the seas obeyed His voice, and when He spoke the demons obeyed as well. As Jesus spoke the people could sense that they were listening to the word of God. Rather than speaking as one of the prophets, Jesus quoted the prophets. When He went to the synagogue in Nazareth, he stood up and read from Isaiah 61, saying:
Luke 4:18-22 (NKJ)
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth . . .
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus, and the Bible says that Jesus rebuked them, saying:
Luke 24:25-27 (NKJ)
25 . . . "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
In doing this, the Lord revealed the place that expository teaching would have from that time forward. After Christ’s ascension, the apostles went out preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and they spent much of their time teaching a proper interpretation of the Old Testament scriptures.
Time and time again Peter and Paul went back to Moses and the Prophets to prove that Jesus Christ really was the promised Messiah. Paul said that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
When Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost, he pointed first to Joel, Chapter 2, and said that the miracles of that day were a fulfillment of Joel’s prophesy. When the apostles spoke in tongues and some accused them of being drunk, Peter stood up and said:
Acts 2:14-21 (NKJ)
14 . . . "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
15 "For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
16 "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
Well, Peter used this opportunity to help people get saved, and he did so by giving an exposition on Psalms, Chapter 16 and Psalms, Chapter 110. He started by saying:
Acts 2:22-28 (NKJ)
22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--
23 "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
24 "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. (Now notice this.)
25 "For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in (Hell), nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of joy in Your presence.'
After quoting Psalms 16, Peter goes on to explain the true meaning of that passage. Peter tells them what Psalm 16 does not mean, and he also explains what it does mean. Then he compares it with Psalm 110. He says:
Acts 2:29-36 (NKJ)
29 "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
30 "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,
31 "he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in (Hell), nor did His flesh see corruption.
32 "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
33 "Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. (Now watch how he uses Psalm 110.)
34 "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand,
35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
What a great job of expository teaching Peter did here! Under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit, Peter took two passages of scripture and interpreted them in the light of the circumstances of that day.
Some teachers today make the mistake of thinking that the Bible is too hard for the average person to understand. They say that all we really need to do is take verses of scripture and try to apply them to our lives.
But look what happened when Peter dedicated himself to the interpretation of Psalm 16 and Psalm 110. The Bible says that after Peter gave his message, the people were cut to the heart and about 3000 people got saved.
We know that the word of God is quick and powerful and shaper than any two-edged sword, but let me tell you that it’s greatest power can and will be made manifest as we dedicate ourselves to the proper interpretation of the scriptures.
Preachers, teachers and politicians will all from time to time quote the Bible simply to make a point. One such instance was June the 11th of 1963. On that day John F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard in Alabama to ensure that black students would be allowed to register for classes at the University of Alabama.
A few hours later, he pleaded with Americans from the Oval Office to live by the Golden Rule. He said, “The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.”
I think this is a great example of making a point by using a verse of scripture. Jesus was not specifically talking about desegregation when He spoke those words, but it was certainly a good application of Jesus’ words.
Lyndon Johnson was a master of political compromise, and he believed in ruling by consensus. One of his favorite quotes was, “Come, let us reason together.” This was from Isaiah, Chapter 1, and I’m sure that Isaiah had no thought for the political processes of America when he wrote those words, but it was a good application of Isaiah’s words.
Obviously, applications such as these can be a very effective way of making a point, but the real effectiveness of these applications can only be realized after a proper interpretation of the passages. When Jesus gave the golden rule, He was discussing the two greatest commandments of the Law which were love God with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
In Isaiah, Chapter 1, it was the Lord who was pleading with the rebellious nation of Israel, saying,
Isaiah 1:18 (NKJ)
18 "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
As I mentioned earlier, Peter made sure that the people understood what Psalm 16 and Psalm 110 were really talking about. He wasn’t just using verses of scripture to drive home a point in his speech. He was teaching his audience what those verses were really talking about, and when the eyes of the people were opened to truth of God’s word, they were moved by the Spirit of God. They believed, they repented and their lives were changed forever.
So Peter and the apostles went out after the resurrection and ascension of Christ to teach the word of God to the children of Israel. They taught them that Jesus Christ fulfilled every Old Testament prophesy concerning the Messiah.
In Acts, Chapter 6, we see that the church in Jerusalem had grown into a large assembly of believers, and we also see that they were all living together as they waited for the Lord’s return. When a controversy arose concerning the distribution of food, Peter had to set some priorities. Let’s read what happened starting at verse 1:
Acts 6:1-4 (NKJ)
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
Clearly, Peter understood the importance of teaching a proper interpretation of the word of God. Only with such an understanding can believers apply the word in a way that is accurate, appropriate and blessed by the Lord.
Well, it’s been a pleasure studying with you this morning during our weekly Bible Study Time. I trust that the Lord will bless you as you worship and learn about Him today.
Church links:
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