Who is the Bible About?

Intro: Interpretation

Interpreting the Text:

Text from wife: Do whatever you want. Do you do whatever you want?

Life’s a garden, dig it. You gotta make it work for you. Interpret Literal or figuratively?

1 Samuel 17: 4-5 (historical narrative)

English Standard Version Chapter 17

And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.

Psalm 18:5-6 (poetry)

English Standard Version Psalm 18

Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9  He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

Do we interpret these verses the same? No.

Why? Different genres. Each genre of literature has its own set of interpretive rules.

2. Overview: Last week we were in John 20, Jesus is resurrected and the disciples visit the tomb. However, the empty tomb didn’t immediately evoke hope but raised questions.

English Standard Version Chapter 20

8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Last week they they did not understand the Scripture. This week, they will understand Scripture.

Jesus will interpret the text and show how all the prophets from Moses to Malachi foretold of his coming.

There is a central uniformed theme running from Genesis to Revelation, God’s plan to redeem his creation through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

As you read the Bible, remember the Central Theme: Jesus.

The OT points towards Christ. The prophets foretold of Jesus and he had to explain to the disciples how the prophets foretold of his coming death and resurrection. They didn’t understand this. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians

English Standard Version Chapter 2

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Without the Holy Spirit, the Gospel is nonsense. To the unregenerate, the Bible is incoherent at best and utter nonsense at worst.

Luke 24:17-24

Walking and trying to make sense of the recent events.

Attempting to reconcile what they saw with the reports of what they heard.

As if the day wasn’t hopeless enough, Jesus asked them what happened. It bummed them, because they would have to relive as the recounted the events for this rando who obviously has been hiding under a rock.

English Standard Version Chapter 24

18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19

Jesus doesn’t return insult for insult. Look at how he responds. By asking the question- “What things?”

His question to the pair is directed to their hearts because he will eventually instruct them in Truth that only their hearts may receive.

Cleopas’ Answer:

English Standard Version Chapter 24

And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.

Cleopas runs through the facts, the things he’s observed. It’s as if in verses 19 and 20 we are Cleopas’ head.

Verse 21 transitions us to his heart, the seat of his emotions.

English Standard Version Chapter 24

But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.

Moreover, we have these reports from the tomb we can’t make sense of. The women say the tomb is empty and saw angels saying he is not here.

What we see in Cleopas’ answer is disappointment and frustration with unmet expectations of the Messiah. He was supposed to deliver Israel; furthermore, God is not a God of confusion. Yet, here we are. Confused and trying to make sense of it all.

The issue is their picture of Jesus didn’t match with the real Jesus, the one the OT portrayed.

If we’re honest, we have all had similar experiences. Expectations of the Christian life unmet. We may not be wondering down a road trying to make sense of the crucifixion but what are some expectations we have that seem to go unmet?

Perpetual fight against deep-rooted sin

Fervently praying for children, yet still barren.

I am praying for my marriage and am long-suffering but it’s not getting better.

Luke 24:25-27

A suffering Messiah was foreign to the first century Jew. The Messiah was going to be a great conquerer who liberates Israel and install her as a great nation.

What does Jesus say about suffering? “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Jesus told his disciples he must suffer; furthermore, the OT speaks of the suffering servant.

Yet the disciples did not understand it.

As mentioned earlier, their picture of Jesus didn’t match up to the one the OT portrayed.

Culture influenced they way they perceived Jesus.

We’re not immune to cultural influences on how we read the Bible.

We read Bible and insert ourselves in the narrative as the hero.

Find your inner David and slay your Goliath.

When your given a Nebuchenezzar, be a Daniel.

Point to the fence and believe “I can do all things through Christ” when the count is 3-2

God has a wonderful plan for your life.

When we do this, we steal the glory that is rightly due to Christ. Recall the central them of the Bible: God’s plan of redemption for his creation accomplished through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

David- Israel’s MVP, couldn’t match up to God’s standard. When he should have been fighting, he was lusting and conspiring.

What if that wonderful plan is to suffer depression where every breathe exhaled is a plea for divine grace to strengthen you for in the moment.

When we read the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit, we see Christ as the central theme.

This is why prayer is important when reading the Bible.

We need the Holy Spirit to aid us when read. We need him to reveal the Truth that is not discerned by the natural man.

This is one of his ministries.

Martin Luther has three rules when it comes to interpreting scripture:

Prayer.

As Martin Luther puts it: You should completely despair of your own sense and reason, for by these you will not attain the goal…Rather kneel down in your private little room and with sincere humility and earnestness pray God through his dear Son, graciously to grant you his Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide you and give you understanding

Reading with the aid of the Holy Spirit, we see the story of David and Goliath, not as a motivational speech, but as an actual event that foreshadows the victory of the Christ over Satan.

Goliath represents Satan, sin, and death.

David is King Jesus vanquishing Satan, sin, and death through unlikely means.

Its the death of death in the death of Christ.

The sacrificial system in the Old Testament was never permanent. The blood of animals could never fully take away the sins of man, what was required was a sacrifice that permanent.

the resurrection of Jesus gives us hope because we too will be raised from the dead like him.

Luther’s 2nd rule for interpreting scripture is meditation. When we meditate on what Christ has done-we see the hope we have and this hope stirs our hearts toward action as we will see in 30-35.

Luke 24:30-35

The purpose of the Bible is to make one wise unto salvation.

It describes Man’s state-dead in his trespasses.

In and of himself, man cannot live up to God’s standard. We aren’t graded on a scale and there aren’t bonus assignments at the end.

We cannot live a righteous life and require a savior- that is the bad news.

The good news- the Gospel- Jesus is that Savior.

He is God in flesh.

Behold the Lamb who takes away the sins of man.

When we meditate on the Gospel, our hearts should be spurned towards action just as these two disciples were.

We know when the Word of God goes forth, it will accomplishes all that God desires.

What does it say: if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord?

The Bible is talking about true confessions of Faith, where the object on one’s faith is the Risen Christ not a “sinner’s prayer”.

If it were the later, 98% of Calhoun and Cleburne County would be saved but we know this to not be true.

It’s powerful-all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

If you think about it, our evangelism success rate is 100%.

When you called on the name of the Lord, repented and believed whether it was after hearing the Gospel the 1st time or the 10k time, you were saved. You repented and believed and now you stand justified before a holy God. Not because of your righteousness but Jesus’.

This leads to Martin Luther’s 3rd rule: trial. The Gospel applied in our own lives.

In what ways have you observed how the Gospel impacts your life?

We were dead and through Christ are now alive.

Prayed for friends and they finally professed faith in Christ.

Persevering through hardships because, like Paul, you have learned to be content in Christ and therefore you push forward towards the finish line because Christ is your strength.

The Gospel isn’t just a historical event.

It’s a daily grace- you were dead and now your alive. You were a slave to sin and unrighteousness, now your a slave to Christ. You have the honest desire to pursue righteousness.

When we read

We pray the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the Truth and we are able to taste and see how sweet the Word of God is.

We meditate on the Word the God.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked but meditates on the Law of God day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, its leaf never wither and bears fruit in its season.

Psalm 119:11  I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

Through trials, we experience the sweetness and life giving power of the Word of God.