Untitled Sermon

Luke 11:14-26

“How to Handle the Word”

Introduction:

1. Rightly handling the Word is the most important thing you can do when discipling someone. And you are discipling these people in your small group. During the time that you meet as a small group the most important time will be when you open the Word of God and explain it to those in your group. Now you won’t have to do a ton of legwork because Pastor will have already done that. You are simply going over the sermon and addressing questions or verses that Pastor didn’t get a chance to cover or go as in depth. But just because you are going over a sermon doesn’t mean you won’t need to be somewhat properly equipped to exposit (which means to explain) a passage in its intended context and intended meaning. In other words, explain God’s Word as God meant it to be explained and understood. Let me give you some examples of bad exposition.

2. What is handling the Word rightly? What is exposition? When you preach or teach, or counsel, to explain accurately the meaning of scripture.

a. Reader Response: This is when the interpreter decides what the meaning of the text is. You have probably all heard this in a small group before, “What does this passage mean to you?” That is bad interpretation. We are not and should not be concerned with how a person feels a certain passage should be interpreted or mean. Why? Because when you superimpose an intended meaning into the Bible, you remove its true meaning and authority. Here is an example. Many Churches and Pastors believe that Woman can preach and hold the office of Pastor or elder in a Church. Why? Because they read 1st Timothy 2:11-12 and interpret it as Paul speaking culturally. Woman just couldn’t preach in that Culture, but in our culture they can. The question isn’t, what do you think the Bible is saying, the question is, “what does the Bible actually say.”

b. Let me give you another example. A boxer wins a boxing match with Philippians 4:13 on his face. The announcer comes up and raises his hand after his victory. And asks him, “Great job, what do you think helped you the most to prepare and win this fight”. He replies, “Philippians 4:13 baby, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength! There is nothing that I can’t do if I remember that” Really? Is that really what that verse is saying, that Jesus helps you win a boxing match. (Todd Friel “Herman Who”) Bad interpretation.

c. Ezekiel Bread. God told the Israelites to make it out of punishment and bake it over human excrement for 390 days. Why are we eating this as a health achievement!

3. There is something very important when Handling the Word of God. “Authorial Intent”. We want to interpret the Bible as the Author intended. John Lennon wrote a song called, “I get by with a little help from my friends”. Does anyone remember what people thought that song was about? Drugs. And John Lennon claimed it wasn’t, he later came and said that he had no idea friends was another term from drugs. Do you see the conflict? You have the Author who has an intended meaning, and you have the interpreter who puts their own interpretation on it. We want to be expositors that convey and explain the Authors intended meaning.

a. Example. Read Letter. I think this letter is about Making Bear Grylls a video requesting him to come to my 25th birthday party. How can we figure it out? Here’s an idea, read the whole letter. Do you see how funny it is when we think of it this way? Nobody really reads a letter halfway through it and expects to understand it rightly.

b. Here is a great short tip that you can implement when handling the Word rightly. I would suggest more, but a simple way to take away wrong interpretations the majority of the time. Read at least 3-5 verses before that verse, and after that verse. So when someone asks you a question about a verse or something in scripture, remember it’s not fool proof. But read before at after that verse or passage at least 3-5 verses. Read more if you have the time. Do you know why that is important? It’s because it sets up context. Let’s continue on my letter.

c. Context is important, but Context isn’t just through reading the whole letter or book. There is historical Context. Why was it so easy for you to interpret the letter written to me once I read it all? Because you know me, the Church, the teen room, you have at least heard of Bear Grylls. It makes sense instantly without anyone explaining it to you. Why? Because you are part of the audience that fits into the cultural context, so it makes sense. Read this letter to a group of people 250 years ago and see if they could tell you what you’re talking about. They can’t. Why? Because they don’t have all the pieces. They don’t know what a cookie is, who bear Grylls is, what the word lit means in that context. They have never had a teen room, so they are confused. And they are confused why the letters P.S is there. Cultural and historical context are important. Understanding Cultural would help interpret the PS and the Word lit, and cookies, because that’s a cultural thing. Historical would help them understand who Noah is and why he is the recipient of the letter, and who bear Grylls is because they have never heard of him or what he does.

d. The same is true with the Bible. We want to approach the Word of God determined to understand the Authors intent. Which we know God is the ultimate author. WE want to know what God says, not what I think God says. And to help us reach authorial intent we must understand the historical context.

e. How can you in our context of Pastor preparing our material prepare to rightly divide the Word using Historical, Grammatical interpretation. These are small things I suggest.

i. Get a good study Bible and brush up on the books historical context by reading it in the study Bible. My suggestion, get a “John Macarthur Study Bible.” Get an exegetical background commentary on the Bible.

ii. Read the book over and over. If you made a plan to read the book you are in along with pastor at least 7 chapters every day. The same chapters every day. You will become aware of the books intended meaning, and interpretation through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit quickly. You say, “Noah, lay that out for me because I am confused”. If pastor is preaching through Exodus, my advice is read the first 7 chapters of exodus every day until he is starting to preach in exodus chapter 8. Once he hits chapter 8, then begin to read Exodus chapters 8-14 every day until he hits chapter 15 preaching and so on. Think about it. If you do that, you will be saturating your heart and mind with that scripture over and over while leading people through it in a small group. It will begin to make sense as God illuminates your mind.

iii. Get a good Bible translation. Pastor Recommends and I agree, ESV, CSB, NASB, NKJV. Don’t read the tree of life version. Or if you can’t understand it, don’t read the KJV. Read an understandable but accurate translation. If you don’t know which ones fit that category, we just gave you 4. I would choose one of those 4.

iv. If you want to Handle the Word rightly, learn how to connect the passage to Jesus Christ. You can teach morality, doctrine, and practical living through the scripture all day long. But if it is missing Jesus Christ at the center of it then you have not handled the Word correctly. The scripture always points back to Jesus. Does that mean every passage is about Jesus paying for our sins? No, but every passage has the scarlet thread of Jesus Christ. I didn’t realize this until I got saved, but people grow only when their love for Jesus grows. And their love for Jesus grows only when their understanding of him and what he accomplished grows. And their understanding of him and what he accomplished grows only from the Holy Spirit working through the Word. This is the goal of small groups.

v. Understand correct and basic theology. I am sure that many of understand correct and right theological, historically Christian doctrine. If you don’t, you will not only not handle the Word rightly, you will not be able to rightly guide and answers questions from those you are leading.

1. Example. Pastor is preaching through Isaiah 53. And in your small group that week you are going through verses 4-6. You are reading it and going through it, “he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our sins. Punishment for our peace was upon him and we are healed by his wounds.” Someone in the groups asks. “I understand that the Bible says here that Jesus was punished in my place. But how did he take away my sin?” They don’t understand how Jesus spiritually took away our sin. Understanding doctrine can help you answer this. This would be understanding “imputation”. Jesus Christ literally took our sin, our sin was imputed, or transferred to Jesus Christ. And Peter says he bore our sins on his body on that tree. Our sins were transferred to him, and likewise his goodness, his righteousness was transferred to us, his righteousness was imputed to us. A book I recommend is “50 core truths of the Christian faith” by Greg R. Allison.

2. This will also protect you in a lot of ways. If someone begins to wrongly interpret scripture or give their opinion and it is wrong. But you don’t know the answer via scripture on how to object but you can correct it just because you know correct doctrine.

vi. Don’t be afraid to so “I don’t know.” Do not mishandle the Word just to try and answer a question or something.