Exegesis
Write your passage here (Example: Matthew 28:16-20):
____________________________
Observation: (What does this say?) (6 points: 1 point for each item)
1. Ask:
a. who___________________________________________________________
b. what___________________________________________________________
c. when___________________________________________________________
d. where___________________________________________________________
e. why___________________________________________________________
f. how___________________________________________________________
2. Key words and phrases (big words, words that are repeated, etc.): (10 points)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Lists: (10 points)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Contrasts and comparisons (what is being contrasted or compared; what is the illustration and what is the real situation or person?): (10 points)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Expressions of time (until, then, when, after): (10 points)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Terms of conclusion / purpose clauses (wherefore, therefore, for this reason, finally, for, so, so that): (10points)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This text says: (20 points: Don’t interpret here. Just restate the passage in your own words.)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Interpretation: (What does this mean? Take all of the observation data into account!)(20 points)
1. Remember context rules: look at surrounding verses; take note of the entire book; take note of the
entire bible’s teaching on this particular issue concerning God
2. Remember, the primary point is the Gospel and the nature of God. What is the text saying about God?
What does the text say about the Gospel?
3. Always seek the full counsel of Scripture.
4. Scripture will never contradict Scripture.
5. Never base your convictions on obscure passages of Scripture.
6. Interpret literally unless it is obvious it should not be literal.
7. Look for the single meaning of the passage. It is never appropriate to say, “the text means this or that
to me”. That puts the objective in the subjective.
The text means:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Application: (How does this affect me? What am I supposed to do now?)(2 points: 1 point for each of 2 applications: Give at least two)
1. What does this passage teach?
2. Does this section of Scripture expose any error in my beliefs or in my behavior?
3. What is God’s instruction to me as his child?
4. When applying Scripture, beware of the following:
a. Applying cultural standards rather than biblical standards
b. Attempting to strengthen a legitimate truth by using a Scripture incorrectly
c. Applying Scripture out of prejudice from past training or teaching
This text and its meaning affects me:
1. Application _________________________
2. Application _________________________
3. Application _________________________
4. Application _________________________
5. Application _________________________
6. Application _________________________
7. Application _________________________
8. Application _________________________
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Nehemiah 6:15-7:4
Nehemiah 6:15-7:4
You know we are building the church local and global for the glory of God. As vital as framework is, the most important parts are not related to framework.
The wall was completed and it was cause for celebration, but the story then shifts to the internal building that is most vital.
God does not need a way to defend his people. The wall has it’s purpose, but primarily the building is done inside of people as they learn to fear God and walk in his ways.
As we build the church we must realize that it is not done in external ministry additions or upgrades. It is done internally in hearts, attitudes, minds and practices flowing from heart, attitude and mind transformation.
While building the city of God within the city of Rome here are some things we will see, fight for and guard.
1. We will see supernatural work 6:15
The wall was completed from start to finish in 52 days. From the first of Nisan to the 25th of Elul is the building time.
“Josephus said it took two years and four months; but he had no other evidence, and it is better to take Nehemiah’s word. Thucydides (1.89–93) says the wall around Athens was built in one month.”
Application:
To see supernatural work one must be involved in the work: ministry, prayer for ministries, telling the good news (where are the evangelists?)
2. We will see Jesus testify to his own power and humble the self-sufficient 6:16 (this is incumbent upon seeing the supernatural from God’s people doing the work of ministry)
Why do people oppose God’s work? If they admit that it is God working, that admission implies that they recognize his power (cf. Acts 5:34–39). If they can continue to convince themselves that the gospel really is not true or that this work is not God’s work, then they can remain comfortable in their unbelief or indifference. But this self-confidence receives a blow when they understand that God has really been working in and through his people.
Application:
Always be ready to speak of the work of Jesus publicly.
A. People need to hear
B. The time is right culturally to speak of spiritual matters
C. Be quick with the Gospel
How can we know something has been uniquely the work of Jesus?
1. When the work done is manifestly good in itself
2. When the work done is extensive
3. When beneficial changes are brought about rapidly
4. When serious difficulties and opposition are overcome
5. When the work proves lasting
6. When human effort is not sufficient to account for the results
3. We will have to fight enemies that come from within 6:17-19
A. Meshullam (3:4, 30) was a worker on the wall and repaired more than one
section but he also gave his daughter to Tobiah’s son to marry.
1. Perhaps he did not agree with Nehehmiah’s policies of separation
2. Perhaps he questioned why Nehemiah could consort with the
Persians and he could not consort with Tobiah and he failed to
trust his leader’s direction
B. What are signs of trouble?
1. Constant complaining about surface issues from those not dirty from
ministry
2. Constant critique of teaching with a claim of superior teaching and had
hushed conversations away from those who might not agree
3. Broken fellowship and the assertion of rights rather than accepting
wrong for the sake of unity 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
4. We will have to guard right worship as a priority (gatekeepers, singers and Levites) 7:1
A. Gatekeepers – guarded the temple area and provided general security for
worship
B. Singers – singers sang 24 hours a day in the temple area in ministry to the Lord
C. Levites – provided the necessary service of the function of the temple
1. Nehemiah was operating according to the Scriptural mandates of the
temple.
2. Nehemiah was making worship a priority.
D. Worship is not simply external. It is primarily internal 2 Chronicles 30:18-20.
E. Worship becomes external when the internal is right.
1. Song is part of the external
2. Celebration is part of the external
3. Mourning is part of the external
4. Repentance is part of the external
F. Worship looks like being a living sacrifice.
Application:
We do what we do NOT because people are benefited, but because God’s fame is at stake and the net result is that people are benefited by being brought near to Jesus to worship him and have Jesus meet their ultimate needs.
5. We will have to guard the qualifications for leadership (faithful and God-fearing) 7:2
A. Faithful and God-fearing
1. Faithful
2. God-fearing
6. We will have to guard against a consumer mentality church 7:3
A. The city was wide and large and there were few comparatively in the city. All
hands were needed.
1. We are not a mega-church but we pack a mega-punch in the
community.
a. All parents are needed as the ministry
1. Radical Kids
2. Student Ministry
a. Parents are the frontline of ministry
b. Parents are the fuel to ministry
c. Parents have to use home time strategically
d. Parents have to use drive time strategically
B. If there is need that is felt, then the one feeling the need may be the ministry
initiator.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
A Response to Dr. McKenzie's Argument Made at Berry College
What is the problem?
There are those who want to broaden the scope of salvation through means other than Jesus and they are within the church. They presuppose some wrong things about the Scriptures, and therefore, they appeal to sources outside of the Scriptures to make propositional claims that fly straight in the face of the propositional claims of the Bible.
There is an obvious problem. There is an appeal to a time in history as a reference point for determining ultimate truth because that time in history was a revelation of God that brought about respect for other religions.
In the context of this communication respect equals acceptance as equally valid. Keep reading.
The hint is given in the notion that it is above the moral mandate to “tolerate” other of another religious background (in the proper sense of tolerate), to humble oneself and accept that God has revealed himself, obviously in a salvific manner, beyond Jesus.
In other words, people can get to God through other means than Jesus.
The reason that I say the problem is wrong presuppositions about Scripture is that the Scriptures, called the Bible, will just not allow any person who believes them to be accurate revelation from God to make such assertions.
Lets look at some possible belief systems regarding the Scriptures that feed ideas like the one we just looked at.
Neo-evangelical
Neo-evangelicals hold that inspiration is limited to redemptive truths and does not guarantee the correctness of all scientific and historical statements. The neo-evangelicals feel comfortable with the term infallibility, but most evangelicals insist on the word inerrancy as well.[1]
Liberal-evangelical
C.S. Lewis believed in a fallible Bible that manifests varying degrees of inspiration. He saw a process of development whereby myth becomes history. God providentially guided the natural and errant literary productions of the past. Then, at the appropriate moment, God adopted that natural myth and elevated it into the service of the Word of God. He now speaks through it to the edification of believers.[2]
Neo-orthodox
Neo-orthodox holds that the Bible becomes God’s Word.[3]
The Bible is simply a witness to Christ. Christ is God’s revelation; the Bible is only a fallible human record of that revelation. [4]
Liberal
One of the most popular of the old liberals was the famous preacher of the Riverside Church in New York, Harry Emerson Fosdick. He is forthright in declaring that “the liberal emphasis rests upon experience; we regard that, rather than mental formulas, as the permanent continuum of the Gospel.” The Bible is not an absolute guide, for “any idea of inspiration which implies equal value in the teachings of Scripture, or inerrancy in its statements, or conclusive infallibility in its ideas, is irreconcilable with such facts as this book presents.” What makes it necessary to reject the Bible? “The vast enlargement of the physical cosmos, the evolutionary origin of man, materialistic theories which endeavor to explain him, brutality of social life involving low conceptions of him, the innumerable masses of men such that old cynicisms gain new force … tend in many minds to undo what the Hebrew-Christian development did.” However, “we are saved by it [biblical criticism] from the old and impossible attempt to harmonize the Bible with itself, to make it speak with unanimous voice, to resolve its conflicts and contradictions into a strained and artificial unity.”
Fosdick acknowledges the source of the modern liberal rejection of the Bible. “Get back to the nub of their difficulty and you find it in Biblical categories which they no longer believe—miracles, demons, fiat creation, apocalyptic hopes, eternal hell, or ethical conscience.” This should be no surprise to us. For “it is impossible that a Book written two to three thousand years ago should be used in the twentieth century A.D. without having some of its forms of thought and speech translated into modern categories.”[5]
The problem stated:
The problem seems to be that there is a view of the Bible that comes up short of being the full and final source of truth for salvation.
Why are the scriptures questioned or not valued as authority?
1. The primary reason is that the text is clear and leaves no room for one’s opinion to be shaped by any other influence. The text clearly exalts Jesus as the only God, the God of the Old Testament, who made clear he was teaching himself as the only way to know God, the Father, himself as God. This gave way to the church having to wrestle it’s way through the development of the doctrine of the tri-unity of God.
2. A secondary reason is that the world-view of many is that there is no super-natural, therefore, all things written are historical in nature only and all super-natural things are “myth” created to validate the claims of the writers, who are mainly second century writers who are writing to validate the claims of the church and therefore putting words in people’s mouths they did not actually say. This is the position of “Jesus seminar” “Scholars”.
3. Lastly, many just don’t want to believe because their god is themselves and mankind in general.
What is the solution?
Have the view of Scripture that it has of itself
Orthodox / Evangelical
The modern evangelical position on Scripture is heir of the traditional, orthodox position of historic Christianity from biblical times to the present. Mainline evangelicals from all major denominations and smaller groups accept the verbal inspiration of Scripture, as well as its divine authority and consequent inerrancy. [6]
Verbal, Plenary, Inspiration (inerrancy)
Verbal (the very words of the Bible)
- This does not deny the fact that God used men in their settings in life, with
their distinct personalities to speak.
Plenary (every part of the Bible)
- All of the Bible is inspired, not just the parts we like
Inspiration (are divinely inspired revelation)
- That is they are from God and are true without any error. That is they
do not affirm anything contrary to truth.
Scripture claims to be God-breathed or inspired
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).
Peter says, “the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look” (1 Pet. 1:10–12).
Peter also says “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:20–21).
“Jesus summarized the Old Testament Scripture as existing in three parts: the Law, Prophets, and Psalms (Luke 24:44). He accepted the Old Testament canon as it exists today without any modifications and came to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). As a rabbi, or preacher and teacher of Scripture, Jesus’ entire ministry involved the instruction and application of the Old Testament. Jesus’ public ministry even began with him reading from the Old Testament book of Isaiah and stating that his ministry was to fulfill the Old Testament promises about his coming (Luke 4:16–21). Jesus clearly stated that his ministry was an Old Testament ministry; it was to fulfill all of the Old Testament promises and longings that pointed to him.”[7]
“Christians believe that Scripture is our highest authority, or metaphorical Supreme Court, by which all other lesser authorities are tested. Practically, this means that lesser courts of reason, tradition, and culture are under the highest court of truth, which is divinely inspired Scripture. During the Protestant Reformation, the slogan sola scriptura (and sometimes prima scriptura) became popular to summarize this conviction; it means Scripture alone is our highest authority. ”[8]
Speaking of the New Testament writings of Paul, Peter actually calls his writing “Scripture”.
2 Peter 3:15, 16
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.[9]
The solution stated
The Bible claims to be the very word of God, given by God to man so that man can know the way of salvation.
The Scriptures warn us of errors regarding the proclamation of Jesus
2 Timothy 4:1-5
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” [10]
What do the Scriptures teach about Jesus regarding salvation?
John 14:6
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”[11]
Acts 4:12
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” [12]
2 John 7-11
“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.[13] Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”[14]
1 John 4:1-6
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”[15]
1 John 4:14-15
“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”[16]
1 John 5:1
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”[17]
How does the Bible speak to the one who denies Jesus as the sole way to God?
1 John 2:18-27
Other Resources
For Further Reading on Bible Translations
- “Pastoral Reflections on Bible Translations” by Mark Driscoll
- The Indestructible Book by W. Kenneth Connolly
- The Word of God in English by Leland Ryken
- Choosing a Bible by Leland Ryken
- The Bible in Translation by Bruce M. Metzger
- How We Got the Bible by John H. Sailhamer
- A General Introduction to the Bible by Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix
For Further Reading on How to Study Scripture
- Reading the Bible With Heart and Mind by Tremper Longman III
- Getting the Message by Daniel M. Doriani
- On the Old Testament by Mark Driscoll
- On the New Testament by Mark Driscoll
For Further Reading on Apparent Bible Contradictions
- When Critics Ask by Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe
For Further Reading on Miscellaneous Bible Issues
- The Origin of the Bible, edited by Philip Comfort, is a good introduction to the authority and perfection of Scripture from a team of theologians.
- Christ and the Bible, by John Wenham, is a very helpful survey of how Jesus Christ viewed the Old Testament.
- The Canon of Scripture, by F. F. Bruce, is a thorough book on how the sixty-six books of the Protestant canon came to be.
- The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?, by F. F. Bruce, is a good survey of the accuracy and credibility of the New Testament.
- The Indestructible Book, by W. Kenneth Connolly, is a fascinating historical look at how the Scriptures have been both opposed and adored over the ages.
[1] Geisler, N. L., & Nix, W. E. (1996). A general introduction to the Bible (Rev. and expanded.) (178). Chicago: Moody Press.
[2] Geisler, N. L., & Nix, W. E. (1996). A general introduction to the Bible (Rev. and expanded.) (177). Chicago: Moody Press.
[3] Geisler, N. L., & Nix, W. E. (1996). A general introduction to the Bible (Rev. and expanded.) (171). Chicago: Moody Press.
[4] Geisler, N. L., & Nix, W. E. (1996). A general introduction to the Bible (Rev. and expanded.) (172). Chicago: Moody Press.
[5] Geisler, N. L., & Nix, W. E. (1996). A general introduction to the Bible (Rev. and expanded.) (166–167). Chicago: Moody Press.
[6] Geisler, N. L., & Nix, W. E. (1996). A general introduction to the Bible (Rev. and expanded.) (180–181). Chicago: Moody Press.
[7] Mark Driscoll, Revelation, http://blog.marshillchurch.org//2008/04/07/revelation/
[8] Mark Driscoll, Revelation, http://blog.marshillchurch.org//2008/04/07/revelation/
[9] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (2 Pe 3:15–16). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[10] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (2 Ti 4:1–52). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[11] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Jn 14:6). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[12] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ac 4:12). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[13] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (2 Jn 7). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[14] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (2 Jn 8–11). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[15] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (1 Jn 4:1–6). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[16] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (1 Jn 4:14–15). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[17] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (1 Jn 5:1). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Nehemiah 5:1-13 Beware of internal struggle in the use of finances, God's fame is at stake
Nehemiah 5:1-13 Beware of internal struggle in the use of finances, God's fame is at stake
There are three groups mentioned:
The first group (1) were families who owned no land, and so were first to feel the effects of a lack of income from laboring while engaged on the wall-building.
The second group (2) were already mortgaging their land and would lose their security altogether if they could not repay their debts from the annual harvest.
The third group (3) were apparently having to borrow in order to pay their taxes.
For all of them, the sense of social injustice was aggravated by the facts that their creditors were fellow-Jews (1, 5) and that they were reaching the point of having to sell themselves into debt-slavery.2
Regarding how the people were to treat each other when borrowing and lending and in need, the Scriptures are clear on this point.
Leviticus 25:35-43; Exodus 22:25-27; Deuteronomy 15:7-11
Observations
1. Nehemiah was himself guilty v. 6, 10
2. There was an effort to buy back their brothers who had sold themselves into debt-slavery so that they could be free, and then have committed the same evil that they had taken effort to rescue their brothers from. v. 8
3. There was a public call for repentance v. 8-12
- Fear God
- Be aware of God's reputation among the nations
- Abandon the practice immediately
- Return what has been taken in interest or pledge
- Require nothing in return for assistance granted
- Made a public oath to comply with the Scriptures
- Request that God bring retribution on the person who does not comply
- Public worship and action on the issues at hand
The main point of emphasis is verse 9b “Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?”
In other words, their behavior internally directly affected their worship and their mission.
How must we, in light of this text, groom our internal behavior so that our worship is right and our mission goes forward?
1. Fear God in our financial dealings with each other, particularly with those in need
A. Default to Scripture not cultural norms (if I have it, spend it on me and my wants)
1. Make room to help those in need in our church
a. For those who need a job, give them one Leviticus 19:9, 10
2. Help the one working hard (church and professional life) and life circumstances slam them
3. Obey the Holy Spirit inclination of your new heart regarding profit
a. Honest business for profit is good with legitimate patrons
b. Intentionally trying to get all one can from a patron in greed is wrong
4. Do not get at the expense of others in greed, this make's resources one's idol
2. Fear God in our financial dealings with those outside the church
A. Conduct business with Integrity outside of the church7
Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
1. Don't be “that guy”
a. The dirty business owner that has the fish on his advertisements
b. The loud, rude and cheap patron
2. The reputation of Jesus Christ is at stake!!!
a. Approach every interaction as if you are going to preach the Gospel
3. Fear God by being a faithful financial manager of God's resources
A. The people in Nehemiah were gaining/using funds as if the funds actually belonged to them 1. They should have been giving rather than hoarding
B. 10 % of the membership of TRCC contributes to the mission financially
1. Repent of the view that your time and money are yours
2. Repent of the view that you deserve to have more
3. Repent of “gleaning” up to the edge of the field (don't max out usage of
God's resources)
4. Begin worshiping with you finances, they are God's anyway
5. Give liberally with a cheerful heart
1 Carson, D. A. (1994). New Bible commentary : 21st century edition (4th ed.) (Ne 5:1–13). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press.
2 Carson, D. A. (1994). New Bible commentary : 21st century edition (4th ed.) (Ne 5:1–13). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press.
4 Freeman, J. M., & Chadwick, H. J. (1998). Manners & customs of the Bible (Rev. ed.].) (288–289). North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers.
6 Rooker, M. F. (2001). Vol. 3A: Leviticus (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (311). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
7Emmett Long in conversation regarding how Chick-fil-A conducts business and still makes a profit in light of similar restaurant chains losing money in the current economic climate.
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