Applying the Word

Introduction

Application is putting truth you've discovered (through observation and interpretation) to use in your life with the ultimate goal of transformation or life change.

Bible study is not meant merely to inform you, but to transform you. Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Much of our devotional life is merely informational. We read. We think thats a nice story and we move on. Maybe we even spend time studying the word of God. Hey I don’t know what that means so we dig a little deeper. Study is important, but our reading and our study must thrust us forward to application if we are truly going to grow in the Lord.

Have you noticed that your walk with the Lord has gotten stale? Maybe you have plateaued? You haven’t seen victory or change in quite some time? Maybe it was easier for you when you first got saved. You were on fire and it seemed like God was showing you things every day. When we first get saved we put into practice everything that we learn because it is new and exciting, but the older we get in our faith, we can become lazy. We might learn new things but it never makes it into our lives. God did not intend for us to merely continue learning new things, God wants to change our lives. Don’t tell me that you don’t see a need for change in your life. If you can’t think of something that needs to change in your life, then you are worse off spiritually than you think you are.

If you have been using the bible study method that I introduced earlier on, you will notice that every day includes Application. Application comes after Observation for a reason. It is important to understand and interpret a passage accurately if we are to properly apply scripture in our lives. But reading and observation get us nowhere if we do not apply scripture. I want us to begin by looking at the biblical basis for application and then the practice of biblical application.

The Biblical Basis for Application

1. James 1:22–25 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

A. You could say that application is the entire theme of the book of James. James is concerned that we not profess a faith that hasn’t changed our lives. In vs 22-25, he commands us not to be hearers only. How do we become hearers only?

When we come to church and hear sermons, but we never put into practice what was preached. We don’t respond.

When we read in our devotions and learn something new, but we don’t put it into practice.

When someone gives us counsel, but we choose not to follow through with what we were told from scripture.

B. The attitude of being a hearer only is laziness and apathy. James uses an illustration to describe people like this. James likens them to people looking in the mirror.

Junior High boys generally fall into this category. Morning rolls around and its like 7 am and they roll out of bed. They might go to the bathroom and brush their teeth. They take a glance in the mirror and they see a hair sticking up over here and another one over here. There is this big crease all up and down the side of their face. And what do they do? They go “Meh!” and they go on about their day. Someday they will wake up and realize girls exist and that moment will change their life forever. If they are like Mr. Luke it will be sometime around the third year of college. JK Now they have a reason to make sure they look good.

The believer who looks into the perfect law of liberty (God’s Word) and does nothing is like that Junior high boy. But the believer who sees, remembers and does what he sees will be blessed.

2. Mark 4:24 “And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.”

Another principle about application is that God will reveal Himself more and teach you more only as you apply what you already know. Jesus says in these verses that we are to take heed to what we hear. Pay attention to it. The implication is that we are following, obeying what we hear. Jesus then promises that those who take heed to what they hear will receive more.

Mark 4:25 “For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” God doesn’t reward laziness. He rewards those who exercise themselves towards godliness: those who obey.

Take this illustration. I recently started teaching Bella graphic design. We are both excited about it. But as I am teaching Bella, if she were to stop practising what I teach her, if she stops working at learning am I going to continue trying to teach her? The obvious answer is No.

Jesus goes a step further and says that those who don’t take head will have what they have taken away. This is logical. People forget what they once knew if they aren’t keeping it fresh in their mind. If they never think about it again, they will lose it.

It is kind of like body building. Believe it or not there was a time that I was generally in shape. I worked at a Marine Corps Weight Lifting gyn in Okinawa. But what happens when you stop lifting weights for a period of time? It turns to flab. Even the things you used to know and practice in your life need to be maintained.

3. Hebrews 5:14 “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Application is also what leads to spiritual maturity. In Hebrews, the author makes a contrast between babes and those who are of full age or mature. The central characteristic of a mature christian is his ability to discern right and wrong, truth and error. But how does he get there? His senses are exercised by reason of use. Hearing without doing the word is not using the word in our lives.

4. Philippians 4:9 “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

We are going to come back to this passage in the end as an example of applying God’s word to our lives. But he ends the whole section by telling the believers of Philippi to not just hear him, not just watch his life; but to do what he does. Discipleship is an important feature of church ministry. but it is important for disciples not just to learn truth from the mentor, but to learn how to live from the mentor.

The Practice of Application

It is one thing to know you are supposed to apply scripture to our lives, but how do we do it. I would like to give you some practical tips to help you get started.

Questions to ask yourself

Questions are an important feature of bible study. We ask questions to know what something means, but we can also ask questions to know what to do with what I have learned. I am going to give you an acronym that I stole from someone else: SPACE PETS. When trying to apply scripture to your life ask the following questions:

Sin to confess

Promise to claim

Attitude to change

Command to obey

Example to follow

Prayer to pray

Error to avoid

Truth to believe

Something to praise God for

2. Measuring the application

a. Provable

b. Possible

c. Specific

Many Christians fall short in their applications because they are too general. They read a passage like John 15:12 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” And they apply it by saying I need to be more loving. Maybe they pray and ask God to make them more loving (which by the way is the wrong way to approach this. God is the one providing grace to become more loving but he doesn’t override your will). That is good an admirable, but what does it mean to be more loving? How can you specifically practice more love in your life?

If you continue reading Jesus tells us the greatest form of love: that a man lay down his life for his friends. We can meditate on that truth because no one embodied that more than Jesus. How did Jesus lay down his life? He died, for sure, but he also gave up the riches of heaven to come to earth. He suffered rejection and hardship for us. He bore our burdens and sins on himself. So how can I specifically apply this to my life? Ask yourself:

What burden of my friends can I help bear for them?

What can I sacrifice that someone else needs?

Does someone else need me to give up my time, energy to meet their needs?

But let’s be more specific.

Who needs me to do this and how can I do it today? If you never set a specific goal for applying scripture to your lives, you just won’t do it. You have to be intentional about being a doer of the word.

Now just to make something clear: not all application means you have to change behavior. In SPACE PETS, there are two points that aren’t action oriented perse: Truth to believe and Something to praise God for. Sometimes it is just looking for a truth to believe and meditating on that truth. Really believing it and not just knowing it is key. Sometimes it is just praising God for a wonderful truth about Him that you saw, delighting in Him or thanking Him for what He has done. But do more than just read.

The Example of Application

Now let’s apply this principle from Philippians 4:6–9 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Is there a sin to confess? anxiety

Is there a promise to claim? The peace of God will keep your hearts and minds

Is there a command to obey? Stop being anxious, pray, think on these things, follow my example (Notice this tells us how we get the peace of God to keep our hearts and minds)

So let’s make it practical. What today are you struggling with anxiety over? Maybe it is a fear that your kids won’t turn out, or that you won’t even have kids. Maybe it is a fear that your life isn’t going to go the way you planned it to go. Maybe you feel out of control.

Here is what an application of this passage would look like:

Whenever I think about John today and begin to fear, I am going to stop thinking about what worries me, pray to God for peace, ask myself if this is true (your fears of the future are not reality) and think on true, lovely things, and then get about serving others.

Anxiety is the result of letting your mind run amuck. God’s solution to anxiety is laid out here, but you have to actually do it if you are going to see victory in your life over anxiety. It takes time, It take practice by over and over again obeying the principles that God has laid out.

Conclusion

Tonight, I am challenging you to intentionally apply scripture to your life today. Don’t read merely for learning or habit to get it done. Read, learn for life change and heart change.