How to Understand the Bible

Introduction

Background:

Paul is on his first missionary journey, Barnabas is with him, and now John Mark has abandoned them. In v. 14, he arrives in the city of Antioch is Pisidia (pee-sid-dia). This is a different city than the Antioch they came from. When Paul and Barnabas were sent out, they were sent out from Antioch of Syria…this is Antioch of Pisidia.

Context:

Pisidia is in the Roman province of Galatia. In the rest of chapter 13, Paul is going to give an exposition of the Bible, and is hoping that both the Jews and Gentiles there will come to know Jesus as their savior. The message that Paul is going to preach is the same message that he is going to defend in the book of Galatians, that justification comes by faith and faith alone.

Now, what is justification?

Justification

Justification: To be made right with God

Well, how are we justified?

The Bible says that everyone since Adam is in sin and that we are enemies of God. So, God sent Jesus to this earth, Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, died on the cross as the payment for all sin, rose from the grave by His own righteousness, and whoever has faith in Him will be justified. In other words, to have faith, trust, in Jesus is to be made right with God. This is because a faith in Jesus means to apply the payment Jesus made on the cross to your sin debt. And that is something that can only be done by trusting Him, it’s not something we can do by being good enough.

Justification: To be made right with God.

He teaches on this by giving a complete exposition of the entire Bible.

Bible Exposition

Bible Exposition: The final result of understanding the information, emotion, and application of the Bible

Informationally, you need to understand what is going on at the time the passage was written. You need to understand the audience it was written to. Most importantly, you need to understand that everything in the Bible points us to Jesus.

Emotionally, we can’t remove ourselves from the text. When we read that Jesus was bruised for our transgression, when we read that He was crushed for our iniquity…we need to feel the emotion of the text to understand what it was like to be there.

Imagine when the Bible says that the mother of Jesus was standing at the foot of the cross, that we just remove the emotion from the text.

There she is, watching her baby boy be spit on, beaten within an inch of His life, now hanging limp on a cross, and as the people of God we don’t even bat an eye at the seriousness of that text.

We need to feel what they felt when they were there if we want to understand what the Bible is trying to say.

So, to ignore the emotion of the text is to ignore the truth of the text. To ignore the information surrounding the text is to ignore the truth of the text.

Then there is application.

Here’s how information, emotion, and application tie together: what I’m about to do is give you a mini-sermon on contentment. In this mini sermon I’m going to use information, emotion, and application to get my point across…at the end, I’m going to point you to Jesus:

We like to give the Israelites a hard time…but they were in a desert, stranded with no food or water, when they complained, they were given the same food and every day until they were sick of it. When they got to certain places, it was so dry that God instructed Moses to make water flow from a rock…

We get in our expensive cars, drive to a restaurant, eat in luxury, give a stingy tip to our waitress, then drive home just as unsatisfied as we were when we left, never thinking about the luxury that God has afforded us.

The bills come in, and we can’t afford the life that we once did, inflation is on the rise, and now we feel stuck, whether we’re drowning in an ocean of misery or stranded in a desert of judgement, and we complain…and for some reason we don’t think we’re like those Israelites.

Our problem is the same as theirs was, we don’t have faith in Jesus. We don’t have Godly contentment. If we want to be the people of God that we need to be, we have to find our contentment in His presence, not in His blessings. Do you know Jesus today? Come and let Him give you peace.

Now there it was…information about the Israelites, the emotions surrounding their complaints, the application to our lives, a charge to follow Jesus.

Now, this is exactly what Paul is going to do here in Acts 13 today. He is going to take the entire Bible, and he is going to preach a message of salvation. We’re going to break down how he does this, and it’s going to help us understand our Bibles.

Acts 13:14–15 NKJV

But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”

Paul has a heart for the Jewish people as well as the Gentiles, so when he goes into each city he always finds his way into the synagogues. They recognize Paul and Barnabas as teachers as say to them, “if you have anything to say, say it” as if two preachers don’t have anything to say.

But what Paul is going to do is he is about to stand and preach a message, from the beginning of Israel to the resurrection of Jesus.

I. Preparation

Acts 13:16–19 NKJV

Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.

Then he talks about the judges, King Saul, and King David.

Acts 13:23–25 NKJV

From this man’s [King David’s] seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus— after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

Well, what exactly is Paul doing here? These are Jews, they know the history of Israel.

Peter does the same thing in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Stephen does the same thing in his message before he is martyred. Why do they always give a history of Israel and bring it to the modern day?

They do this to prepare their listeners

Point being, if you want to understand the Bible, you need to be prepared.

Prepare to Understand

The Heart

You will never understand the Bible if your heart isn’t right with God. You’ll never understand the Bible if you’re not trusting that God is going to reveal something to you.

Hardness of their heart

Jesus was here on the earth, the people saw Him in the flesh, and they didn’t believe. Why? The Bible says it was because of the hardness of their hearts.

There’s Stephen just before he’s martyred, he preaches his sermon, and what is the charge that the Holy Spirit brought against the people there?

Acts 7:51 NKJV

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

An uncircumcised heart is a heart that is hard and unbelieving.

So, Paul begins his preaching reminding the people that there was rebellion against God all throughout the history of Israel.

They believed that they were a perfect people, and didn’t need salvation. Paul is preparing their hearts by saying, “You are not a perfect people, you need salvation.”

Are you honest with God in your quiet time?

What does your heart say about your relationship to Him?

Are you critical of others? Are you always so negative? Do you have a desire to know God and to know His word? How’s your heart? Is there unforgiveness in your heart? Don’t expect to understand your Bible if you’re not prepared in your heart.

Theme, History, and Context

At the same time that Paul is addressing their heart, he is setting them up to intellectually understand why Jesus is the Messiah.

He is tracing out for them the history of Israel and how they arrived at this point in history.

Let’s talk about theme

On Wednesday nights we are preaching through 1 Corinthians. The theme of 1 Corinthians is “Christian Wisdom”. Why wisdom? Because the church there was living according to worldly wisdom instead of spiritual wisdom.

So, when I understand wisdom as the theme, I can understand that Paul is rebuking the Corinthian church for their worldly wisdom and then teaching them about God’s wisdom. It helps me to understand where Paul is coming from.

History

What does the history say about the city Corinth at the time when Paul wrote the letter?

Well, we know from the history books that Corinth was a large city. It was a diverse city. In the city of Corinth they worshipped Aphrodite the goddess of sexuality. And in that city there was lots of wealth and people who believed that they were more important than God.

Ok, understanding the history helps me understand the cultural battles that the Corinthian church was facing.

Context

With the theme and the history in mind, I begin reading 1 Corinthians. Right out the gate, I can see that this church is divided. In chapters 1-4 Paul writes about why they should be united. Then I continue…and because I know that Aphrodite is the major false god in that city, when I get to ch. 5 I can see that people claiming to be Christians are involved in prostitution and sexual immorality…and as I continue reading the theme and the history give me the context of each chapter.

Now, let’s say I’m studying 1 Corinthians 13. It’s known as the love chapter. It’s read at weddings and it’s a beautiful chapter…but because I know that the theme of 1 Corinthians is spiritual wisdom, and because I know that the history of that city, and because I now understand that the major problem in the church is division, I understand that 1 Cor 13 isn’t talking about marriage, but it’s talking about getting along in the church.

1 Corinthians 13:1 NKJV

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

Some people will take this verse and they will say, “See there, speaking in an angelic language is in the Bible.” but they’re missing the point. The point Paul is making is this, “I don’t care how spiritual you are, if you’re divided, if you’re engaged in prostitution, if you think you’re better than others, you’re like a clanging symbol.”

Think about an orchestra. Everyone is playing in harmony, and it sound so good, and then one of the percussionists just starts banging on that cymbal. Even though the rest of the orchestra sounds wonderful, no one can hear it because of that loud and rude cymbal.

Applying Preparation

So, I’ve just sat down to study my Bible. First, I’m going to ask God in prayer if there is anything in my life between me and Him, if there is, I’m going to confess it to Him, and I’m going to repent from it.

Then, I’m going to think about the theme of the book I’m studying, I’m going to think about the history of the world when that event was taking place, and then I’m and going to read it all in context to make sure that I understand what the Bible is talking about.

That’s a lot of work!

Well, sure it is, that’s why it’s called Bible study, because its a study of the Bible.

So, in Acts 13:16-25, Paul prepares his audience to receive God’s word by addressing their heart and reminding them of their history.

II. Declaration

Acts 13:26–32 NKJV

“Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers.

Acts 13:36–37 NKJV

“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.

What is Paul doing now?

He is taking the word of God, and he is making a declaration of the truth. Namely, that faith in Jesus Christ will keep you from corruption. That Jesus is the Messiah that the Jews were waiting for. That Jesus is the savior of the world.

A Question, A Truth, A Challenge

When you study the Bible, if you want to understand it, prepare yourself, then ask a question, discover a truth, recognize the challenge.

Asking The Question

The question that this assembly should have been asking is, “Why did our forefathers crucify Jesus?”

So, when you sit down and study, always ask the question, “How does this magnify Jesus?”

In every part of the Bible, Jesus is magnified. Now, sometimes it might take a little digging to understand how it magnify’s Jesus, but that’s how we get to step number two, discovering a truth.

Discovering a Truth

Now here’s some history and philosophy for you.

In our nation’s Declaration of Independence, Jefferson penned these words,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights

You cannot create truth. You cannot say, “What I think this means is.”

The minute you do you put yourself in the place of God. When Jefferson penned those words, he was saying to the English government, “You do not determine what is true, only God tells us what’s true.”

Now, regarding truth, it cannot be created and it cannot be changed, truth is truth no matter if you like it or not.

To get to the truth truth, what do you have to do? You can’t create it….you have to discover it. It doesn’t matter if it’s scientific, philosophical, or historical, the only way to find truth is to uncover truth…it cannot be created.

In the spiritual realm, it cannot be discovered by you, it has to be imparted by God. He’s got to give it to you by the Holy Spirit

How do we discover something? How does God reveal truth to us?

In 1947, a young shepherd goes to find a lamb missing from his herd. He is searching for that lamb around the rim of what’s called the Dead Sea..and around the Dead Sea there are limestone cliffs with caves that run through them

That young boy takes a rock, throws it into one of those caves, and hears pots break. When he went in to investigate he came out with the greatest discovery of the 20th century…the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of Bible manuscripts, giving us more evidence that the Bible is accurate than any other writing that exists.

After that first discovery, all kinds of expeditions were launched to find more scrolls out by the Dead Sea. They searched and searched and ended out with over 900 manuscripts of the Bible.

Church, when you search for the Lamb in the Bible…you’ll discover one truth…and then the more you look and the more you search, the more you dig, you’re going to find truth after truth after truth.

And the truths that you will discover in God’s Word will be the greatest discovery of your lifetime.

Ask, “How does this magnify Jesus?”

And as you search the Scripture for Jesus, as you search for that Lamb of God, you’ll discover the truths of the universe.

Recognize the Challenge

Church, when you discover Jesus, you’ll always be challenged.

Romans 12:2 NKJV

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

That’s what Paul is challenging them to do. He is challenging the to accept Christ. He is challenging them to soften their hearts and to submit to Jesus.

The purpose of discovering the truth of the Bible is to become more like Jesus.

If you prepare, if you ask, if you search, God will give you a declaration about your life. He will call you to some actionable response.

The reason that so many of you search the Scripture but can’t get anything out of it is because you’re heart isn’t right, you don’t understand the context or the message, and you haven’t really been digging for truth. You’ve been walking on the outskirts of the Bible, too afraid or uninterested to go into the depth of discovery. God can never impart spiritual truth into your life if you aren’t willing to find it.

So, not only is there preparation…not only is there declaration

III. Application

Acts 13:38–39 NKJV

Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Acts 13:46 NKJV

Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

Acts 13:50–52 NKJV

But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

You have two responses to God. Surrender or disobedience.

You can either stir up within yourself just like these Jews…or you can receive the Word of God like these Gentiles

When the gospel is preached, when the Scripture is studied, when a truth is discovered and a challenge is delivered, you either obey God, or you disobey Him.

Here’s what Blackaby says about this matter of Obedience

Delayed obedience is disobedience

When God has given you instruction, it’s not for you to wait around and wait for something to magically happen.

When you sit down with the Bible and discover a truth, are challenged in how you live…it’s time to obey then. It’s time to repent then. It’s time to surrender then.

And don’t tell me that God is leading you when you don’t spend time in His Word and in prayer with Him. For, how can God speak to you if you won’t sit still long enough to listen?

Well, preacher, you said “don’t delay, just obey”! Then you said, “Don’t rush, just hush!” Make up your mind, which is it?

When you have small children. Whether you’re teaching them or parenting them or coaching them…sometimes you sit them down one on one and you explain your expectations to them, and they don’t understand, and they don’t obey.

Other times, the house, the team, the class gets out of control and they’re all moving and they’re all working and they’re all trying to do what they think is right, but as the authority you can plainly see that they are all working against each other, and its like they’re just moving for the sake of moving…we call that the wiggle worm.

But when there is an obedient child, one who listens, one who is wise, one who has understanding…it doesn’t matter if it’s one on one, or if they are in a group setting, when your voice comes out of your mouth, they listen.

They might be sitting with you in the quiet, listening to your instruction, but their heart and their minds are racing towards obedience.

They might be in a room filled with chaos, but as your voice gives instruction, their feet are racing towards obedience.

Because an obedient child doesn’t know everything, but they know the Master’s voice, and they are willing and ready to respond…no matter how small that task may be.

People want to lead churches but they won’t even manage their households. People want to lead ministries but they won’t even lead their families. People want to teach in classrooms but they won’t even study their Bibles…they’ve never discovered the truth of God’s Word because they’ve never turned themselves over to be obedient to The Lord.

If they’re still, they’re heart and mind is elsewhere, ignoring the voice of God. If they’re working and moving, their feet are not racing towards obedience but to self-satisfaction…your problem is you haven’t turned your ears towards Heaven to hear the voice of God, you have not opened your eyes to seeing the work of God.

Isaiah 42:20 NKJV

Seeing many things, but you do not observe; Opening the ears, but you do not hear.”

The Israelites were always doing but never observing, never obeying. Always in church, but never applying it to their lives…and their Messiah was given over to other people.

If you want to understand the Word of God…Pray, Study, Obey.

Conclusion