Show Video time stamps

We're continuing in our series of fundamentals of a very personal, meaningful and productive relationship with God. We're continuing in this next section, the fundamental number four, which is the greatest book in the world. The Bible is God's Word. It can be understood, it can be applied, studied the way that God intended for us to study it. And we derive profit from the Word of God by following God's specific instructions on how to study the Word of God.

So as we look at that, just a quick background is that God's intended effect of Bible study is stated in second Timothy, chapter three, verse 16. And that is that God's Word is given by inspiration of God. It's the unique work of the Holy Spirit in giving to us specifically the Word of God as God intended for us to have it. And it's profitable, profitable for doctrine, for us to know and understand what to believe, then how to apply it, because it is profitable for doctrine, it is profitable for reproof, that is to change beliefs that are in error, beliefs that are wrong, and align them with what God teaches in His Word. Profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, correction of doctrine and correction of how we live life.

And then instruction in righteousness that we, as men and women who have been saved by the grace of God, can fulfill and live according to every precept and every work that God has prescribed for us. It is studied the way God intended for us to study it. We cannot just be sloppy about reading the Word of God. There's a benefit to reading through the Bible in a year, as some people are prone to do. But the benefit does not come from just reading the Bible, which is good.

The benefit comes from us giving ourselves to hard work, the hard work of study. It is our own study. And then the benefit that we derive from others studying the Word of God and teaching us the things that they have learned. As we listen to others teaching, we must always do it with discernment, always recognizing that we need to evaluate everything that is said in light of the Word of God. Has God actually said that?

Because we don't have infallible teachers. We have teachers who study, who then have interpretation, understanding of the Word of God, doing the very best that we can to portray exactly what God means when he says what he does in the Word of God. I've had an individual, a friend, a business colleague, who heard that I was writing this book. And he asked if he could edit it, if he could proof it. He is not somebody who rightly divides the Word of Truth.

He is not somebody who has been schooled in what the Word of God says about study as we have been. So I was happy to begin to send him chapters of the book. And he is feasting in learning these doctrines, and all kinds of lights are going on in his life. When he read this fourth fundamental, which is about the Word of God and how to study the Word of God, he said, the one thing you've got to do is when you get to the fifth point in this particular chapter, you've got to emphasize the importance of these keys that you're giving in order to understand the Word of God. So I've changed some things to make sure that we point out clearly that these are keys to understanding the Word of God.

Keys are meant to unlock, unlock doors. And what these keys do is they unlock certain doors so that once we go through that door, once we apply those keys, all kinds of things open up to us. So as we study the Word of God, we learn principles, we learn directives that God gives to us. And suddenly so many things fall into place in the Word of God. And that's what God has designed.

So these are six very important keys to understanding the Word of God. These are very introductory, they are relatively simple. They're very basic and fundamental to Bible study. And without these, no one will ever be able, never be able to do certain things, never be able to unlock the meaning that God put in His Word. The only way to unlock that meaning is by applying these keys that are given to us by God in His Word, using those to be able to get the meaning that God put in His Word.

We'll never be able to really understand what the Bible is talking about when we read passages of Scripture. Unless we apply these keys, will never be able to apply the Word of God the way God intends us to. These keys gives us the directive on how to apply the Word of God in our lives so that we live lives that are pleasing and honoring to God. Because without that, we cannot ultimately honor, please and glorify God. Realize that this is simple, realize that this is very basic.

But understand that without it, it is impossible to live the Christian life the way God intended for us to. To understand the Word of God, the way God intended for us to understand it, to apply the Word of God and to ultimately honor and please God. Any interpretation of the Bible, whatever it is, doesn't necessarily please and honor God. It's got to be his interpretation, his teaching in the Word of God. I remember a youth leader that worked in our church that I was at and he talked about the principle of faith.

And he said, it's good to have faith, faith in anything. It's just good to have faith. And that's a foolish statement because that is not what the Word of God teaches about what faith is. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. It's not just believing anything or everything or pointing to any passage in Scripture and trying to make it fit to our lives and our circumstances.

There's clear delineation, clear structure to the Word of God. And these keys are very important to actually understanding the Word of God. The first one, key number one, which we've seen before, is that all Scripture is for us. This is a key. All Scripture is for us.

But not all Scripture is written or to be applied to us or about us. You see, In Romans, chapter 15, verse 4, the apostle Paul talks about Scripture that was not given to us or is about us, but is for us for a purpose. There's a lot that we learn from the whole Word of God. All Scripture is profitable for doctrine, but you've got to have the right doctrines by applying these keys to understanding and dividing and applying the Word of God. In Romans 15:4, Paul specifically says, for whatsoever things were written a four time before, before, specifically the things that he wrote before, the things that are written to us and about us in his letters, those things are of benefit.

They're of great value. We are to study them. We are to understand the whole counsel of God, the whole plan of God, past, present and future. Whatever things were written before were written for our learning. We are to learn those things.

We are to study those things. But we can't apply them to ourselves other than the fact that we learn certain things as God has dealt with others in the past. We learn about God's faithfulness. We learn about who God is, about his holiness, his attitude towards sin, his attitude toward those he has chosen as his people, specifically the nation of Israel, his purpose for them, which is not his purpose for us. These things are for our learning.

We learn so much from all of Scripture that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope. So, as Steve often mentions, as we see God working faithfully in the nation of Israel and keeping all of his promises to them. Now, when it comes to promises that God has given to us, we know that he will fulfill those to us and that we can count on him for that. And we can be strengthened in our faith and in our hope. The complete assurance which is what hope in scripture is the 100% assurance that what God has said he will in fact do and perform in the word of God, as Paul teaches us.

There are three specific divisions in Ephesians, chapter two. I'll just mention them because we've reviewed these in detail. But there's times past, things that God did previously, things that are true before those things are written for our learning. But we see what God has done previously. We also see what God is going to do in the future, in the ages to come, which is the second division.

And then we have the third one which applies specifically to us, which is but now. So there are many places in the Word of God where Paul speaks about what God is doing now. A great study is to look at all of the but now passages from the Apostle Paul, because that gives clarity. There have been people who have studied that and lights have gone on to understand that is what God is doing today. That's what he wants us to know and apply today.

The next key to understanding the Scripture is making a distinction between things that have been revealed since the world began and things that have been hidden since the world began. Briefly, in Acts, chapter 3, verse 21, the apostle Peter is speaking to the nation of Israel. And he says in verse 21 regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. He says in verse 21, Whom the heaven must receive until the time of restitution of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. So now we can read the Scriptures of the prophets, the prophetic scriptures that were given to the nation of Israel.

We can read and understand that and know that since the beginning, since the beginning of the world, God has been progressively revealing more and more and more about this time that Peter speaks about, when there'll be the restitution of all things. And that's something that God has spoken about when it comes to the but now Scriptures, the Scriptures that we are to apply today as the members of the body of Christ. Paul says something quite the opposite of what Peter says in Acts, chapter three, verse 21, in Romans, chapter 16 and verse 25. And this is where Paul finishes his letter to the Romans. And he says to them, he finishes with a purpose for why he wrote this book.

It's what he said in Romans, chapter 1, verse 11. And he ends his letter by saying this. He says, now to him that is of power to establish you. How are we established? How are we grounded, steadfast, immovable, firmly grounded and rooted in truth.

It's by certain truth that God wants us to know and understand. Now to him that is of power to establish you. How Paul says, according to my gospel and the word and is chi, which is also translated even according to my Gospel, even the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. And what he says about this revelation about the Lord Jesus Christ, which is contained in what Paul calls mystery, he says, which was kept secret since the world of God, since the world began. So there's another key to understanding, studying the word of God.

It's to delineate, differentiate between things that were hidden since the world began and things that have been revealed since the world began. What is for us, to us and about us to us and about us are those things which are now revealed, which have been kept secret since the world began. A third key is to understand that what is written to us and about us has to do with three components that are integral and integrate it into one. So it's one body of truth which is comprised of what Paul describes as his gospel, the gospel that the good news that Christ died for our sins. He was buried.

He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. But it's broader than that to include all of the mystery truths that are revealed to us about the person and work of Jesus Christ. Romans 16. We said it's the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. So we have the gospel, the mystery, and then the third component within one message that is composed of these different aspects.

It's the dispensation of the grace of God. It's got what God is doing today uniquely. Now. There's grace all through Scripture, but there's only one dispensation of the grace of God, where God is operating uniquely according to his grace, and where grace reigns today in a unique way. So three times the Apostle Paul refers to my gospel.

It is the gospel that was given uniquely and specifically to him. It's good news. Interestingly, as we've seen before in Acts chapters two and three, the apostle Peter is condemning the nation of Israel for what they did to Christ. They delivered him up to be crucified. They.

They betrayed him and they did awful things to Christ, their Messiah. And Peter says, you've done awful. You are guilty of this. The apostle Paul, on the other hand, tells us about the death of Christ and proclaims that as good news. Evangelion, the evangelist, the evangel.

The great news of what God has done in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Distinguishing between those two is a key to truly understanding the word of God and being able to apply it correctly. And then of Course, there's the word mystery, the whole concept of mystery in the word of God. Many times Paul refers to this mystery.

And In Colossians chapter 1, verse 24, Colossians 1, and verse 24, the beginning with verse 24, Paul refers to this mystery over and over. Once you're sensitized to this, once you realize this, you'll see it all over the scripture. We used to say in olden days that once you get a yellow Volkswagen bug, suddenly everybody's got a yellow Volkswagen bug. Which means that, you know, before you never paid attention to it before. You were never sensitized to that.

But once you got one, suddenly you saw that so many people have a yellow Volkswagen bug. And it's the same way when you begin to understand this mystery revelation that God has given. And once you see, opens up all kinds of scriptures to us. And we see the mystery everywhere. For without it, we cannot be established.

Without it, we cannot understand what God is doing today or applying it. Colossians, chapter 1. Beginning with verse 24, the apostle Paul speaks about rejoicing in his sufferings for the church, for the Colossians specifically, but for the church, the body of Christ. And he fills up that which behind of the afflictions of Christ, which he does for his body's sake, which is the church. He says, whereof I am made a minister.

And he uniquely is a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery. So Paul was given a. The word dispensation made up of two words. Two words in the Greek is household and manager. The apostle Paul is the household manager of the body of Christ.

And. And he manages that as he dispenses God's grace to us, which comes through the revelation of the mystery. Again, he says, which has been hid from ages and generations. But now there's a. But now is made manifest.

So that's important to understand. That's the second key. It's distinguishing between Paul's Gospel and any other gospel that is in Scripture. Distinguishing between the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but now has been revealed. It's the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.

And we're living in the dispensation of the grace of God, of which the apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul is the household manager. The next key. And by the way, something important about First Corinthians, chapter two, as we consider the mystery. Just look.

A quick look at First Corinthians chapter 2, beginning with verse 6. In verse 6, Paul says, I'm in Second Corinthians, which won't work. It'll work for other purposes, but not for this. Verse 6. The apostle Paul says he's contrasting the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God, the wisdom of men and the wisdom of God.

In verse 6 of First Corinthians 2, Paul says, Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect or mature. Not the wisdom of this world, nor the princes of this world that come to nothing. So it is for the mature, the perfect, mature, are able to grasp all of the wisdom of God. Where is that wisdom? And in verse 7 he says, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory before the ages.

God predetermined a particular purpose that we would be recipients of this wisdom, of this mystery. It's for our glory, our benefit. We are the recipients that now there's a bad response on the part of God's enemies. Had they known this verse 8, which none of the princes of this world knew. Had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, his enemies.

Had they known it, they would have done everything to prevent the death of Christ. But they had no clue what was coming, nor what hit them because of what God accomplished through what Christ did for us as revealed in the mystery. Verse 9. But as it is written, eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. That is not a verse about what we will experience in heaven.

This is a verse that explains why what we can have today we the things that God has prepared for us. For us. It's things that eye hasn't seen. It is not physically observed or physically perceived. The things which God has prepared for them that love him.

Verse 10 They've been, but God has revealed them unto us. Unto us specifically. How? By his Spirit. This is very important because of the verses that follow.

They've been prepared for us. They've been revealed to us. And look for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. Verse 11. For what man knows the things of a man, except the Spirit of a man which is in him.

Even so, the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.