2 Tim. 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Transcription

1 2 Tim. 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. I Am Studying to Show Myself Approved Before God. I Don t Understand What I m Reading. Does That Mean I m Not Approved Unto God? PART-2

2 Thursday we learned that study σπουδάζω spoudazó (spoo-dad'-zo), to show thyself approved in yourself before God has nothing to do with academics, intelligence, ritual practices, taking notes, doing homework, reading and writing, but to to make haste or give diligence, be eager, zealous; to hear God s Word in your Heart and Soul. In your Spirit. That faith cometh by hearing (not reading or writing, taking notes, practice and rituals) and hearing comes from the word of God. We learned that Peter and John were considered illiterate, according to not being able to read or write, yet, because they had been with Jesus and heard His word they were bold and were able to present themselves before God and man in faith. Now that we have come to the right understanding of what study to show myself approved of God has to do with my haste, eagerness, diligence and zeal for hearing the Word of God, I must then know what it means to rightly divide the Word of truth. As we left off, rightly divide is the word ὀρθοτομέω orthotomeó (orthot-om-eh'-o); meaning, to cut straight; metaphorically: I divide, rightly divide, handle correctly. His word. First thing we have to notice in this is that it directly correlates to Heb. 4:12: The Word of God Is sharper than any two-edge sword, dividing asunder bone from marrow, soul from spirit, it s a discerner of the intents and motives of a person. God s word cuts asunder bone from marrow, soul from spirit so that it discerns our intents and motives of the heart. So, we see that His Word it says sword so sharp, it s actually the sharpest scalpel one can think of that cuts so definitely that it tells you the truth about what your intentions and your motives behind each and everything you do, say or think. God s Word cuts so straight it divides and lays my heart exposed to its intentions and motives for everything I do, say and think. This issue for each individual is how do I handle the truth of God s Word? Is God true and every man a liar? Or is it what I believe, think, feel, reason or experienced? Study To Show Myself Approved 2

3 Now, the first thing I must do in myself to handle the Word of God correctly, or to rightly divide the Word of Truth is, I must come to letting God be true and every man a liar. This means that I have to believe God s Word as being the ultimate authority to my life. Not what I think, reason or believe, but what does God say about it. Many people want to say their Christians but they don t want God s Word to tell them about themselves, they want an excuse, a reason, a believe about whatever it is that conflicts with what God s Word says. In doing so, they don t and won t handle the Word of God in Truth of and in themselves for fear of convictions of the truth. Jesus says, 3:19-21 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. To handle the Word of God in truth first means I must put down what I think, believe, reason or feel and allow God s truth to have its place in me. James 1:23-25 says it this way: Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it they will be blessed in what they do. Now, some will say, well, I believe God s Word and I want to let it in, but sometimes I don t fully understand it. Let me just say this, God didn t call everyone to be a Bible Scholar, a Theologian, a teacher of the Word, a prophet, an interpreter of scripture, but He did give us all the ability to Think and reason! To use common sense! His Word is to bring Study To Show Myself Approved 3

4 us closer to Him, teach us to discern within ourselves rights from wrongs, good from bad. It is to reproof us, correct us and instruct us unto Godliness. His Word is designed for me to improve myself in a Godly manner. To make me sober about the things of God, to become more honest, a better person, a better son, a better father, a better friend, a better mother or daughter, better in all ways within myself. I don t need to be a scholar, theologian, teacher, prophet or scribe to hear and reason the basic truth of God to my life. What I must be is eager, diligent and have a zeal for of God s Word to my life; how does it apply to my life and how do I use it. It means understanding, interpreting and applying God s word to His truth to my life. His Word is a straight cut passing into the heart of whatever it is that God would have me hear and apply to my Christian life. Only I can apply God s Word to my life! However, many of us don t cut straight, we cut jagged by letting our believes, in our believes take precedence of what God said. We allow our excuses and reasoning to take precedence over what God said. We let our feelings on a matter take precedence over what God said. It s not having to know all of God s Word, which is too much to know anyway, it s the taking God s Word. It s receiving the truth of His Word when I hear His Word. Everything is not for everybody every time. But there is something in it for you. Only we can receive what God has for me when I hear His Word. But, make no mistake about it. If I hear His Word there s something in it for me. If, it s not, it s only because I am not listening. Well, how to I listen? Here are the principles of rightly dividing the word of truth : 1. Context 2. Conception 3. Contextualize Context: God s Word when read or spoken, look or hear the context in which you read it or hear it. Meaning, read above it and below the scripture your focused on. What is it actually speaking to. Anyone can Study To Show Myself Approved 4

5 pull a scripture out of context and speak to it not in reference to what s it s meaning. Listen to what s spoken, apply it to what s being preached or read and see if it fits. You can reason! Conception: First off, realize the KJV Bible we read and any other version, was translated into old Victorian English. That s not how Jesus or no other person in the Bible spoke. Know in yourself it s not the words but the message that is being conveyed. What is it that the Word of God is actually saying to me? What is the concept of what I am to understand to apply to my life? For example: Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Lk. 12:25-26). The concept is that worrying adds nothing to your life but bring you down, but if you pray, then God can do something for you. Another example: 1 Cor. 8:1-8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that We all possess knowledge. But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God. 4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that An idol is nothing at all in the world and that There is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many gods and many lords ), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. 7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Paul says all this to simply say, an idol is nothing but what a person made and you shouldn t even consider concerning yourself about the idol, but if you do, then it s because you re not having faith when you say grace Study To Show Myself Approved 5

6 over your food that God has blessed it. Because you still have a weak conscience about food offered to idols. It is the concept of the Word of God that conveys meaning to us, not the language! Contextualize: Put the context and the conception in it s appropriate place in my life. God says, 6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest 11 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. (Prov. 6:6-11). The context is talking about being lazy. The concept is being lazy and to contextualize it is looking at myself and placing a truth to both the context and concept of how I am being. Do I lie around all day (Not you Duck that s called old age), wasting time on nothing. Am I doing the things I need to do to accomplish or contribute to providing me with the things I need and/or want? Am I being busy like the ant who knows they need? Is there more I can be doing to accomplish these things? When I have addressed these things in myself, then I contextualize Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider its ways and be wise! They are self-motivated to do the things they do. They don t have anyone over them or ruling over them to make them do it. They know they have need, so they do it. Ah selfmotivation. God is telling me to be self-motivated to do the things I need to do and stop wasting my time. Now, in Context, Conception and Contextualize, we must empty ourselves of ourselves and approach God s Word with the Belief He true and every man a liar. Not belief that the person preaching or teaching is true, but God s Word is true. The Holy Spirit will bear witness with you if what someone is saying is or is not God s truth. Here s one of the most important things about approaching God s Word with Belief, we Study To Show Myself Approved 6

7 have to PUT AWAY OUR PREJUDICES AND BIAS before coming. Everyone has prejudices and biases learned, and most of them conflict with God s Word. It is not what you think, nor what you believe It s What God Said! If His Word conflicts with your prejudice and bias, then through your prejudice and bias away and adopt God s Truth. That s it. That s rightly dividing the Word of Truth! Study To Show Myself Approved 7