How We Read Our Bibles Pt. 2

Introduction

Series on the Bible

Why we read our Bibles

Its timeless

Its real

Its deep

Last week

The Importance of Biblical Meditation

Making room for God’s word in our hearts

It takes:

Actually expecting to hear from God

Quieting our hearts

Listening to what God has to say

Meditation is an invaluable way to read God’s word

But today we are going to be talking about another extremely important way to read our Bibles — Bible Study

Scripture Reading

Psalm 119:33–34 (CSB)

Teach me, Lord, the meaning of your statutes,

and I will always keep them.

Help me understand your instruction,

and I will obey it

and follow it with all my heart.

Psalm 119:93–96 (CSB)

I will never forget your precepts,

for you have given me life through them.

I am yours; save me,

for I have studied your precepts.

The wicked hope to destroy me,

but I contemplate your decrees.

I have seen a limit to all perfection,

but your command is without limit.

Importance of Bible Study

So last week we talked about meditation

So if meditation is savoring God’s word

Bible study is like preparing the meal

It’s similar but its a completely different skill

Its one thing to be able to taste and identify and savor a meal

Its another thing to use tools and techniques to make that meal

Or another metaphor: Gemstones/Cave

It’s one thing to soak in the splendor of a beautiful diamond

Thats beautiful, cut, and polished

But its another thing to go down into the cave with a pick and mine it, and then take it into a shop to cut it and polish it into the beautiful gems we see

And this is part of what I do every week:

I go to down into the caves of Scripture and come out with beautiful gems to show you

It’s not anything that I made

It’s just something that I discovered

And I am inviting you to come down and find some gems for yourself!

But with that said, it’s not always easy work

You need the right tools and techniques and lots of practice

But we are also dependent on the Holy Spirit bringing understanding and illumination

I think often times when we read the Bible we can be confused

What is this even saying?

Maybe you know what it says, but what does it mean?

Or you might even understand it, but what does this mean to you?

How will this affect the way you live?

Its more than just knowing what Scripture says

We have to let Scripture change us

As someone once said, “It’s not about mastering the Scriptures, its about the Scriptures mastering us”

Paul, writing to Timothy, gives a clear understanding for the purpose of Scripture:

2 Timothy 3:14–17 (CSB)

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Knowing the Bible for Ourselves

We’ve been passed down Scripture and Bible teaching but its something we are called to do on our own

I love this commendation of the Berean church

Acts 17:10–12 (CSB)

As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.

Bible study is an extremely important discipline and skill

It is one of the primary ways in which we take our faith into our own hands

So before we get into how we study our Bibles, I have one last important principle:

Seeing Jesus in the Scriptures

We read in Luke:

Luke 24:27 (CSB)

Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.

And we here Jesus’s warning in John:

John 5:39 (CSB)

You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me.

And this doesn’t mean every little passage is about Jesus

But we want to constantly see Jesus

Genesis

Jesus is the promised seed of Eve

Jesus is the greater Joseph

Exodus

Jesus is the greater Moses

Jesus is the passover lamb

Leviticus

Jesus is our High Priest

Jesus is our sacrifice

Numbers

Jesus is our cloud at day and fire at night

Jesus is our bread in the wilderness

Deuteronomy

Jesus is the fulfillment of the law

Jesus is the true prophet

And it goes on…

But we don’t want to miss the point of it all

Like Jesus says, its not in these words that you’ll find life

It’s in the fact that they testify about Jesus

They point us to a person

And when we read Scripture correctly, we are preparing ourselves to encounter God himself

So with all of that said lets talk about:

How We Study Our Bibles

So this is how I learned (but it’s not the only way)

O-I-A

Observation (What Does It Say?)

Interpretation (What Does It Mean?)

‌Application (What Does It Mean To Me?)

Observation (What Does It Say?)

The first step of studying our Bibles is reading our Bibles

What does it say?

A lot of these skills come from basic reading comprehension

Like you learn in your English classes

These are a lot of the questions I ask you guys…

What does it say?

This may seem boring but these are the building blocks of understanding

What is the subject, what is the object, what is the verb?

It it past tense? future tense? present tense?

What words are repeated?

Who are the people involved?

Where are things taking place?

So the very basic questions:

Who

What

Where

Why (sometimes—if it clearly says)

When

Lets practice together Mark 1:39-42:

Mark 1:39–42 (CSB)

He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

Who is involved?

Jesus & Leper

What happens?

Falls on knees & begs Jesus

Asks for cleansing

Reaches out his hand—touches the leper

Speaks to him—I am willing

Man cleansed of leprosy

Where are they?

The region of Galilee

Why did this happen?

Compassion

When did this happen?

While he was preaching and casting out demons

You won’t always have all of these answers very clearly but answer what you can

Interpretation (What Does It Mean?)

So you know what the text is saying, but what does it mean

Many times reading the text might have more questions than answers

What are some of the questions that come up as you read?

What does this mean?

Why did this person do that?

What does this metaphor/parable mean?

Why does this seem important?

What is the main point?

The key to interpretation is: CONTEXT-CONTEXT-CONTEXT

I think of many circles of context that get more and more specific

Where does this fit into the context of the Bible?

How does this fit into the storyline of the Bible?

Where does it fit into the context of the book?

Who wrote the book?

What was the purpose of writing the book?

Sentence context—what does it say before and after this?

Ideally we use the Bible to interpret the BIble

We use the context of what the Bible says to better understand the Bible

Sometimes we use outside resources

Commentaries

Dictionaries

History, language, etc.

But when we interpret the text, we ask questions and try to best answer them

So again in Mark 1 39-42, what are some questions that are raised?

Mark 1:39–42 CSB

He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

Questions

Where is Galilee/What is its importance?

What is a synagogue?

What is Jesus preaching?

Why is he driving out demons?

What is leprosy? — What does that mean in Jesus’s time?

Why did Jesus heal him?

What is the importance of Jesus healing him?

How does this fit into the Gospel of Mark?

How does this fit into the whole Bible?

Application (What Does It Mean To Me?)

And the final aspect (and probably the most important) is application

Here we ask the question: What does it mean to me?

Or: so what?

And this is so much more than just analysis and question asking

This is allowing God’s word through his Spirit to bring his word to life to us

So we ask questions like:

What characteristics of God are on display in this text?

Do I see God like this?

Is there anywhere in this text I am being called to do something?

Greater trust, faithfulness, love for others?

What about this text leaves me in awe and wonder about who God is?

How can I worship God in this?

Most basically: How do I respond to what I just read?

What do I need to believe and receive?

What do I need to do?

Again in the story of the leper:

Mark 1:39–42 (CSB)

He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

What do we see about God’s character?

How am I being called to be like Jesus

Who are the outcasts in my life

How can I see myself in this story and worship God?

What do I need to believe?

What do I need to do?

Conclusion

So this is a process of Bible study that I learned and practice and that I want to share with you

It’s very simple but it takes time and attention

It takes asking deep questions

And it takes the Holy Spirit to bring understanding

Again these are simply tools for you to have in your tool belt

My aim is that you would be able to ready and study God’s word on your own

And that when you face difficult questions (which you will)

You know where to go to ask them

Observation — Interpretation — Application

What does it say?

What does it mean?

What does it mean to me?

Now we are going to practice this again in groups with a different text

Practice

John 15:1–8 (CSB)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

Gather questions for next week