Out of Context
Notes
Transcript
Intro; This morning we are starting a new preaching series called “Out of Context.” In this series we’re going to look at passages of Scripture taken out of context and how it can lead to error and misunderstanding. Quoting a single verse of scripture out of context doesn’t necessarily mean the verse is being misused. Some “out of context” verses reveal a stand-alone truth; while others require a consideration of their context in order to be properly interpreted and applied.
Let me give you an example of one scripture as a stand alone out of context that is okay;
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
If we wanted to tell someone that salvation is a gift from God, this scripture is perfect and appropriate as a stand alone. It also fits with the context of [John 3] as Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus in the context of being born again/salvation.
On the other hand, taking the phrase "God is love" (1 John 4:7-16) out of its context, we might think that our God loves everything and everyone at all times with a gushing, emotional love.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
In its context, “love” here refers to agape love, the essence of which is sacrifice for the benefit of another, not a sentimental, romantic, emotional love.
The historical context is also crucial, because John was addressing believers in the first century church and instructing them not on God’s love, but on how to identify true believers from false professors. True love—the sacrificial, beneficial kind—is the mark of the true believer (v. 7), those who do not love do not belong to God (v. 8), God loved us before we loved Him (vv. 9-10), and all of this is why we should love one another and thereby prove that we are His (v. 11-12).
By taking scripture out of context we come to the conclusion that God is only love or that His love is greater than all His other attributes, which is not the case. We know from other passages that God is also holy and righteous, faithful and trustworthy, graceful and merciful, kind and compassionate, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. We also know from other passages that God not only loves, but He also hates.
16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
15 “All their wickedness is in Gilgal, For there I hated them. Because of the evil of their deeds I will drive them from My house; I will love them no more. All their princes are rebellious.
When the Bible speaks of God’s hatred, the object of His hatred is sin and wickedness. But sin and wickedness always involves a person who chooses to commit sin and acts of wickedness. God cannot judge the sin without also judging the sinner.
So as we begin this series I want to try to stay within these parameters when we look at each scripture.
Context- the literal meaning of the scripture, the historical setting, whom it is addressed to, and how it fits with the narrative of the story [big picture]
Intent- what is the intended purpose of the scripture
Application- how it was applied then and how it can be applied to our lives today if possible
Text; 2 Chron. 27:1-6
1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.
2 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the Lord). But still the people acted corruptly.
3 He built the Upper Gate of the house of the Lord, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel.
4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers.
5 He also fought with the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. And the people of Ammon gave him in that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The people of Ammon paid this to him in the second and third years also.
6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.
Summary; Looking at this scripture we see that Jotham was a young man that succeeded his father Uzziah as king and ruled for 16 years. His mother was the daughter of a priest [Zadok]. He did some great things as a young king as he repaired/built sections of the wall of Jerusalem and built fortified cities in Judah. He defeated the Ammonites and received tribute [tariffs] from them, and he became mighty because he walked with the Lord.
As we look at this there’s not anything bad to say about this young man. But unfortunately, preachers can take [v.2] out of context, put their ideas on it and use it to preach a sermon to mean whatever he wants. That is misrepresenting the scripture, taking it out of context.
1. Out of Context; 2
1. Out of Context; 2
A preacher could take this one verse and preach a message on “The Importance of Church Attendance”.
This scriptures says Jotham did what was right by God, even obeying his parents, and that he was a good king just like his father Uzziah. Except for one thing (he didn’t go to the temple).
Even though his dad was a godly king and his mother was the daughter of a priest, because Jotham didn’t go to church every week, it showed up in his rule as king.
The people acted corruptly
The value of church worship didn’t pass to Jotham’s generation and now it won’t pass to the next
The country went to hell in a hand-basket because the leader of the country wasn’t a christian
Because parents don’t make their kids go to church we have a generation of young people who don’t know the Lord and churches are dying
The sermon ends with a question: “How many blessings did Jotham fail to receive, simply because he neglected church?”
Now that’s a great sermon, but that’s out of context and is completely opposite of being in context!
2. In Context; 2
2. In Context; 2
If we are to understand what’s happening in context, we have to know the history of Uzziah, Jotham’s dad. [chapter 26]
Uzziah became king at the age of 16 and ruled 52 years in Jerusalem
He followed the Lord and God prospered him as long as he sought the Lord
He made war and prospered against the Philistines, Arabians, Meunites, and the Ammonites as far south as Egypt.
He fortified Jerusalem with towers and raised an army of fighting men that exceeded 300,000 with shields, armor, helmets, slings arrows and spears for them all.
He even invented catapults that would throw stones and devices that would shoot large arrows at the approaching enemy.
His fame spread far and wide and was marvelously helped by God, till he became strong.
16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord—valiant men.
18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.”
19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar.
20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him.
21 King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
So [2 Chron. 2:2] in context means that Jotham did not make the same mistake that his father did by becoming proud and stepping beyond a kings authority and try to burn incense on the altar of the Lord which was for only the priests to do.
There was another king in Israel who did the same thing. Saul offered a burnt offering in the place of Samuel and it cost him his kingdom as God anointed David [1 Sam. 13].
To keep this passage in context, to understand its intent and make application for us today, we could preach a message on “Learning from Others Mistakes.”
Jotham did not enter the temple like his father Uzziah did, proud and reckless, but he entered the temple in a way that was pleasing to the Lord and God blessed him.
The only thing he did not accomplish is removing all the high places/altars through out the land to other gods. The people were stiffnecked and reluctant and therefore still acted evil.
Close;
From all the way back to the children of Israel leaving Egypt and their wandering in the wilderness, through all the failures of Isreal throughout the Old Testament, Paul gives us warning of not to do the same things but to learn from their mistakes.
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Are you being tempted to do something foolish like Uzziah?
Don’t do it. Learn from his mistakes and lean on the Lord!
