How to Study the Bible | Session 1 | Rooted Conference | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (1 of 2)

What an exciting turn out to see so many people here on a

Saturday morning to learn how to study the Bible.

Now, here's a conviction behind this one day conference.

And I don't want to be too long winded here because I want to

get straight to the material. But really our desire is as a

church, as a leadership, not just to present sermons and to

provide teachings, but to really equip people and for you to be

able to understand that what you hear on a Friday night or a

Sunday afternoon is achievable. And what I mean by that is not

everybody may have the gift of teaching or preaching, but the

insights and the interpretations and the applications are

something that you can arrive to as well.

And that's a joyful thing, right?

Nobody has a monopoly on those things.

It's in fact supposed to be shared.

And this is going to bring me to my main point now, because for

the subject of studying God's Word, you have many, many

incentives in Scripture. You have many ambitions behind

that goal, but for the sake of time and brevity, I want to just

present one thought and that is from the perspective of the

Great Commission and let's read this.

We know these words very well. And this is new for me.

By the way, I don't use slides. So this is not a sermon because

I have my reasons why I believe that a sermon should be as much

just preaching oratory delivery than visual presentation.

But this isn't a teaching conference.

This is a Bible study conference.

So let's look at this. Go there for and make disciples

of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of

the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all

that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always to

the end of the age. Now there are many ideas of what

discipleship is. There are many clever books that

have been written. There are conferences on

discipleship, but if we just go with Jesus's teaching here, we

know exactly what the primary goal of discipleship looks like.

Besides preaching the gospel, besides baptizing those who do

come to faith in Christ, which is oftentimes what the Great

Commission is limited to. We understand what ongoing

discipleship looks like, and it's what verse 20, teaching

them to observe all that I have commanded you.

So teaching is the primary practice of discipleship?

It's not. Discipleship is not spending

extra time with somebody to do life together.

I heard that when I first came to faith that discipleship looks

like life on life. Now there's not.

It's not necessarily wrong, but what are you guys doing life on

life about? What's that?

Going to hang out, going to the gym together, eating at

restaurants? What do you mean life on life?

And discipleship also looks like more than just meeting with

somebody on a weekly basis to talk about your, you know, your

struggle with sin and your, your marriage and your financial

integrity. It's not, it's more than just

accountability. Discipleship is about the

transmission of truth. And here's how that looks like

practically. If if you want to know you're

being discipled by somebody, somebody who knows more than you

is going to be teaching you something about the Word of God,

about Christ, about the gospel. So being discipled is to submit

myself under somebody who knows more than me and receiving their

instruction and their guidance and their wisdom.

And on the flip side, to disciple somebody is to dispense

and to provide and to share truths that I know that somebody

else may not know. That's all discipleship looks

like. And so week by week here at

Maranatha Bible Church or whatever church you represent,

you are being discipled if that pastor, if those elders are

faithfully expounding the word of God, you know, you're

discipling your children if you regularly and conversationally

expound the word of God to them. So it's much more simple, isn't

it? Like what a relief Discipleship

isn't this big, robust, complicated program.

It's not about all these strange techniques and mechanisms.

It's so pure, it's so simple, and every single one of us are

called to it. In fact, how do we know here

that Jesus's instructions are not just for his apostles?

Oh, by the way, this is a classroom.

So if you want to answer, just lift your hand and I'll point

you out. If I don't point you out, it's

because we have to move forward with the material, OK?

And I know sometimes it's tempting to take advantage of

that opportunity to go on teaching or explaining

something, you know, but we have to reserve as much time as

possible. But I'll ask you this, based on

this Scripture, how do we know that what Jesus is saying to the

apostles are not just to the apostles?

Any idea exactly? Do you notice the last part to

the end of the age implying what?

That this mission outlives the apostles, that this mission is

to be continued through the fruit and the offspring, the

spiritual offspring of these men of God, the church.

And it's to be honored and practiced until the very return

of Jesus Christ. So we're here today to be

equipped for the Great Commission.

This is just one way of looking at why this is valuable for us.

But more than that, I want us to understand that we're not

learning how to teach, we're learning how to dig.

So this is not a session about how to explain the truth.

This is not about how to give a homily or a sermon or a Bible

study. That's for another conference.

This is to set the foundation. So in Colossians 316, you know

this verse very well. The beginning of it says, let

the word of Christ dwell in you. How richly dwell is a word that

speaks about living and abiding. Let the word of Christ make its

home in your heart. And what comes immediately after

that, though teaching and admonishing one another?

You can't teach effectively unless Christ's word dwells in

you richly. You can't.

How can you admonish anybody unless you have created and you

have built a storehouse of truth in your own heart?

The word of Christ's dwelling richly precedes any hope of

fruitful teaching. And today you and I will be

receiving the tools by God's grace of how we can grow in the

word of God dwelling richly in US.

Originally, if you saw the registration, I'd put 10 tools

for deeper study. I, I brought it down to 8, not

because of not enough time or anything like that, but because

I, I condensed some things. And if you really wanted to, you

can you can expound on each of these points and you can make

this a A20 set tool belt, but just for the sake because

sometimes we can be overwhelmed with some of these things.

So I want to make it as concise as possible.

And we're going to consider at least eight tools.

Here's the format for today. We're going to look at the first

few, the first set in the first part, we're going to have lunch.

And then we're going to examine the last part part together

before we close. And in between, if you have

questions, feel free to lift your hand.

I want to be of service to you and I want to I want to help

you. And I hope that this will be

accomplished today. Let's pray one more time.

Lord, we thank you for this time.

Lord, at the end of the gospel, Luke, it says that you open the

minds of the disciples that they would understand the scriptures.

Apart from your enabling, we cannot know what you want us to

say you. We cannot know what you want us

to know. We cannot know what you want us

to to obey. So help us in this moment, guide

this session, and may we sense your presence every step in

Jesus name, Amen. Some of these things, if you

come here to NBC, you probably heard me say these things from

the pulpit as a side point or as a clarifying point.

There will be new things here, but there will be things maybe

that you've heard before and hopefully it'll be fresh to you

or it will be able to just compound in your convictions why

it is important before we talk about anything to do with

studying or how to pick a part of verse.

This is foundational and I will always, always, always share

this and preach this and stand by this.

You need to read through the Bible.

You need to read through the Bible.

One verse that comes to mind is Ephesians 3-4 where Paul tells

Ephesians, when you read this, you can perceive my insight into

the mystery of Christ. The mystery of Christ in this

context is not something you have to decode or break apart or

only a select few Saints understand.

The mystery simply means something that was once veiled

is now unveiled. And in this context, the mystery

speaks about the inclusion of the Gentiles into the

Commonwealth of Israel. It speaks about how the gospel

now creates a new man, that this wall of separation has come down

through the cross and now there is this new entity in redemptive

history. But notice what Paul says here.

I mean, we can miss this so easily.

He says when you read this, you will perceive my insight.

The medium by which we understand insight, the medium

by which we discover mysteries and treasures, is through

reading. Reading Christians are readers

now. Before I became a follower of

Christ, you couldn't pay me to read.

You couldn't. I would never read books in

English class. I did terrible with reports you

it was just it took so much for me to be able to focus.

I was more of an athlete, not that athletes don't read, but

this one didn't OK. And I just it was not attractive

to me. It was it was more it was it was

a chore. It was almost like punishment.

But when I came to Christ, one of the things that changed about

me was I want to know what God has to say.

You know, when I was working in advertising, there was a another

individual there who was part time and advertising of people

come in and out. It's in and out.

It's a very transient kind of industry.

And I got to know one of these part time art directors, A

freelancer, and I began to witness them.

And one of the things he said to me, I don't remember what led up

to the conversation, but he, he asked why didn't God reveal

himself through a website? Why didn't he provide videos?

Why didn't he provide? You know, he was being a little

cheeky and and sarcastic there and I didn't have all the

answers at the time and I'm not going to explain it now.

But one thing I do know, according to the Bible, God has

always ruled and revealed himself through a book.

I mean that that goes back as early as the book of

Deuteronomy. When you read this, you will

perceive my insight. Here's Jesus's own words in Mark

1314 and speaking about the last days.

But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he

ought not to be, and in parentheses it says, let the

reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to

the mountains. So Jesus now not only expects us

to read, this is Jesus, the Lord Jesus, He expects us to

understand what we're reading. You know, I did a little bit of

research into Islam a few years ago.

I had some basic understanding, but I really want to delve

deeper into their philosophy, their theology.

And one thing I discovered about Islam is that there is virtually

no emphasis about understanding the Quran.

The emphasis is on memorizing it.

And there's actually reward for memorizing it.

If you memorize the 99 names of Allah, you have a closer chance

to heaven, all these different promises.

And that's fascinating because I've met many Muslims when I

asked them about their book, many of them even know how to

recite it in Arabic. They don't know Arabic and they

don't even understand what the book says.

And that's why sometimes when especially apologists point out

some of the hadiths and some of the Islamic doctrine to Muslims,

they accuse you of lying because they've never heard such things.

And one of the reasons for that is because they've been taught

there there isn't much value in understanding it.

Just memorize it. Just have a surface level

understanding of it. Don't question it.

We're not like that as Christians, our Lord says, and

He expects us to understand what we are reading.

Now I want to tell you that there are three ways that we can

read it. Well, the first ways to read it

systematically. And what that means is read from

the start to the finish of any book.

The Bible is indeed one book. It's a miraculous book, but it's

a library. It's 66 books.

And you and I are charged to know all of it as much as

possible, at least to become familiar with the themes, the

storylines, the characters, the context of every book of the

Bible. So you know what?

One example that came to mind was the short epistle in Jude,

what Jude put together for the believers.

And look at this. In Jude 11, there are no

chapters in this one verse. Consider something woe to them.

He's speaking about the false teachers, for they walked in the

way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain

to Balaam's error and perished and Cora's rebellion.

In one verse you have 3 references to three separate Old

Testament characters. And what does Jude expect of you

and me? To know exactly what he's

talking about? To have a general understanding

of the profile of Cain? What is Balaam's error?

What is Cora's rebellion? Well, left to yourself, it can

be hundreds of different things. But look at this.

In order for me to understand how a false teacher operates in

the New Covenant, I have to know something about Cain, I have to

know something about Balaam, I have to know something about

Cora. So this is just one example of

how systematic reading is so crucial.

And This is why as a church, we preach expositionally, meaning

we take a book and we go through it chapter by chapter, verse by

verse. Now, many people enjoy topical

sermons where you look at a topic and then you do a survey

throughout the Scriptures to see what the Bible as a as a whole

says about this one thing. But there are many, there are

many holes in that approach. There are many things you're

going to miss. What systematic reading means is

you're going to cover everything.

At least you're going to expose yourself to everything.

I gave this example to a group of students 2 two days ago where

I I was on a flight and I I don't watch movies personally,

not regularly at least. And when I get on flights I try

to use that time to sleep or to do some reading or studying.

But on this particular flight I forget which one it was.

It was it was very long and I had my screen in front of me.

But then I looked over at what caught my attention was the

person in front of me watching his screen, not because of what

he was watching, but how he was watching it.

So as I'm sitting there looking at him, he's watching, you know,

like anybody would. And then he would stop the

movie, close it, go back to the menu and start another one.

And then 15 minutes in, he did the same thing.

He stopped the movie, closed it, and then he started another one.

And then 20 minutes in, he stopped at close it.

He did it like four or five times within the span of an

hour. And I thought, look, I don't

watch movies, but I know that's not how you're supposed to do

it. That's one thing I know that's

not how you're supposed to do it.

And then it hit me, that's how people read their Bibles.

They start in John and then they read 6 chapters and they got,

let me go to Psalms and they read 4 chapters in the Psalms,

Let me go to Ephesians and they barely make it through

Ephesians. They go to Leviticus, they read

the first chapter. Like I'm stopping here, right?

And what you're doing there is, is essentially you're cheapening

your experience because with every book you have to

understand, with every book, there is an authorial intent

that the the author has, he has structure and he he's giving you

clues in the beginning for you to understand things later.

And you rob yourself of those discoveries and you rob yourself

of revelation when you treat it like a you version verse of the

day. And so the Bible is not meant to

be plucked in such a manner where then you create your own

kind of tapestry of sayings or commands or promises.

It's grounded in context. It's grounded in the narrative.

It's grounded with other things that need to be recognized in

order for you to know the depth of that one thing.

So you have to read it systematically.

Now there are many reading plans.

The one that I uphold, the one that I practice and have been

since I first came to Christ is very simple Genesis to

Revelation. You read Genesis and and you

just stay there. Now that doesn't mean that you

can't pause in your daily reading to look at a different

portion of Scripture and that doesn't mean other reading plans

are wrong. I'm just telling you what has

helped me to read it systematically, but not just

read it systematically. I mean, here's more points to

consider. Look what Jesus says to the two

disciples on the road to Emmaus and Luke 24 verse 25.

Luke 24:25

And he said to them, all foolish ones and slow of heart to

believe all that the prophets have spoken all What was the

problem of these two? They were despondent.

They were discouraged because their hope and Messiah in Christ

were dashed and Jesus rebukes them lovingly.

Why? Because he highlights the core

problem to their sadness. You only focus on some of what

the prophets have said. You magnetize yourself towards

the promises of the Son of David being a ruling, conquering king

politician. So Jesus provides the remedy all

that the prophets have spoken, and beginning with Moses and all

the prophets, he entered into all, all the Scriptures, the

things concerning himself, All, all, all, all, all.

If you want to protect yourself from even what we find here,

anxiety, fear, and doubt, one way to do it is to look at all

of the Bible. Don't be selective, don't be

lazy #2 read it slowly. The Bible is not meant to be

glanced at, it's meant to be enjoyably absorbed.

What did Paul say to the Corinthians and 2nd Corinthians

318? And we all with unveiled face,

beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the

same image from 1° of glory to another.

For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Notice the word beholding there in the original actually means

to stare at, to investigate, to contemplate, and this is how we

should treat the glory of the Lord as revealed in the

Scriptures. And how that looks practically

is it's not a race. People sometimes ask how many

times have you read through the Bible?

And I tell them gladly, I don't know and I don't want to know

because what, what does that do for me to know how many times I

read the Bible? I knew somebody when I first got

saved who entered into this program where they wanted their

students to know the Bible. And one of the approaches that

they had was you have to read the Bible.

I think it was like 7-8 times in six months.

And when I asked them how he benefited from that, he just

looked at me and he went, oh, so you can leave.

They're saying, I read the Bible 7-8 times.

What did you get out of it? How did it speak to you?

Did you understand it? As Jesus said, let the reader

understand. And so we're beholding.

Read it slowly. If you are reading through

Matthew, for example, and you're in the genealogy in chapter 1

and things stand out to you, just if you feel like you're

gaining traction, stay there. It's not a race, it's not a

rush. If you feel like you're not

gaining traction in one particular chapter and you and

you feel like I have more time and I have, I have a hunger for

more chapters, read two or three more.

So read it slowly. You're beholding, you're asking

out to open your eyes to see things.

And, and this can only come when we discipline ourselves to

understand that you've had this experience.

I'm sure you're reading something and then you're you,

you think yourself, what did I just read?

And then you read it again and then laundry list come to mind.

And then I'll have to send this e-mail.

And so don't just check off the box.

Ensure that you at least are familiar with if somebody were

to ask you what you read, you can say I, I don't know what it

means, but this is what I read. Read it slowly, read it

meditatively. So reading think of it this way

gives the bite you open your mouth and you bite into you sink

your teeth into something, but meditation does the chewing.

Now Eastern meditation pushes for emptying your mind, right?

Empty your mind, empty your mind.

That's not what the Bible says about meditation.

It's the opposite actually. It's fill your mind, fill your

mind. I love this command that Paul

gives to Timothy. He gives 3 rapid fire analogies

of what the Christian life is like.

He speaks about being like a farmer, like a soldier, like an

athlete, right? That's the context of of this

portion of Scripture. But he doesn't explain what

those analogies mean. Instead, he gives this charge in

verse seven of Second Timothy 2. Think over what I say, and

here's the promise for the Lord will give you understanding and

everything. When I first stumbled upon this

and studied it, I realized something.

Revelation from God does not just come to readers.

It comes to thinkers. Thinkers, So what does that mean

for me that again, I'm not just reading something in the morning

or at night and then once I finish, I close my Bible and I

go on with my day. There has to be an element of me

meditating on what I read. And meditation looks like

different things. It looks like you musing over it

in your thoughts. It can look like you talking

about it with somebody. It can look like you making it a

subject of prayer. Lord, I need to understand this.

I'm not sure how this applies. I'm not sure how this fits into

this portion of Scripture. Think over what I say and the

Lord will give you understanding and everything.

Now notice Paul didn't promise when the Lord would reveal it.

We want it to be revealed right away, right?

We're not told when, but we're just told it will happen

eventually, and God has many ways of revealing it.

Can He just illumine your mind? Absolutely.

I've experienced that. I'm sure you have as well.

Other times you're going to be coming to a Bible believing

church, Bible preaching church, and there's the pastor going

through a certain book and he's preaching on something.

That's exactly what you needed answers for.

It can come through a council with a friend.

You're going out for a cup of coffee and they bring out a

verse that for the longest time seemed to be veiled and then

they applied or they interpreted in such a way.

We're like, I've never seen it that way and God is giving you

understanding. So read it meditatively, enjoy

it. As one pastor said it, take a

scripture and throw it in your mouth like a spiritual lozenge

and just let it sit there and let the juices flow, right.

Our reward is not just in reading and saying, I read it,

we want to be able to meditate on it.

And that's where true reward will come.

Nobody's in trouble. So my brother, he's a police

officer and he's been to a few departments now.

And when whenever he goes to a new department, he has to do

field training. And one of the things that stood

out to me was part of his training as as you approach

actually patrolling and being sent off, you know, to the roads

is that you need to get in your squad car at one point.

And you need to drive around a certain county or you need to

drive around a certain city. And you need to make a mental

map of the streets, of the major intersections, of ways to get to

a certain key regions faster. Why?

What's the practical reason? Because when 911 is called, you

don't have time to pull out Google Maps.

You can't afford to call somebody for directions.

There should be something in you that instinctively knows this is

where I'm supposed to be, or generally have an idea of a

reference of where I'm supposed to go and hear this.

You can't begin doing what you're called to do here

effectively unless you can pass this part, unless you can prove

that, yes, I have a general understanding of the area that

I'm supposed to be patrolling. And that's what I want to say

about reading through the Bible. You can't know any of these

other tools that we're about to explore unless you set this

foundation. Reading through the Bible is

what creates the mental map for you to be able to make the

necessary connections and for you to arrive at the right

points when necessary. So read through the Bible tool

#2 Ask the task text questions. Now, for the first time, that

clock is not working, so I got to keep my eye here with this

Ask the text questions. NBC members and visitors, you've

heard me say this before. Allow me to say it one more

time. If you want the Bible to speak

to you, what do you have to do? You have to speak to the Bible.

You have to ask the Bible some questions.

And here's some questions that I ask.

There are 8 of them. Number one, who wrote it?

Who wrote it? Who received it?

Why was it written? Now, some books are more clear

than others with these objectives and these answers.

But here's a general rule. And This is why it's important

when it comes to scripture and interpreting, interpreting the

scripture, there is always one interpretation, right?

There's one intended meeting and goal from the author.

Though there can be many applications.

People get this wrong. People have the idea that there

are many interpretations, and though there are some areas that

are not clear, generally the rule is there's one

interpretation and you can make many applications from it.

And what will keep you grounded in the correct interpretation

are those first questions. Who wrote it?

Who received it? Why was it written?

Sometimes the the author will tell you, This is why I'm

writing to you, right? We see that in First John.

We see that even with Jude, sometimes it's not so clear.

And there are codes and there are clues that we have to

discover and put together to understand what this author may

be reaching for #2 what was said before or after the text I'm

interpreting. This is massively important.

This is huge. Where people get into so many

errors is because of that lack of discipline, stumbling upon a

verse and failing to understand the surrounding content that

informs what that verse is trying to say.

So I'm always asking the question, especially when it's a

complicated verse, what came before it, what came after, what

comes after it? And we'll look at some of these

examples in a moment #3 what does this text reveal about God?

If you ask that question you can get an answer in virtually any

part of the Bible, even Leviticus.

If you constantly ask what is this to reveal about God, it can

be simple answers. One of the first things I

learned about God through Leviticus when I first started

reading it was God is very specific.

God is very precise. God cares about the details and

evidently he cares something much more about this system of

worship than creation because there are multiple chapters on

the the Tabernacle and like 2 on creation of the universe.

So he wants me to know something about this and what does it say

about him? He's specific.

Another thing to learn about Leviticus just from a

preliminary level is he cannot be approached lightly.

There are protocols. He is holy, I'm not.

And this is something that we can explore more later #4 what

does this text reveal about man? What does it reveal about me in

Christ? What does it reveal about my

fellow man outside of Christ? What does it reveal about

sinners? What does it reveal about the

righteous? You can also find many answers

if you ask that question #5 what biblical principles does this

text inform or illustrate? Worship, sin, relationships,

etcetera. So what this means essentially

is there are patterns in the Bible principles.

There are general instructions that you find from old to new,

and what you want to ask is how does this part that I'm reading

out inform that principle, or how does it illustrate that

principle? So when you come to Genesis 22,

for example, and it's the first time that you are encountering

the word love, Genesis 22 has to do with what Abraham sacrificing

his son. Maybe there's a connection there

between love and sacrifice. That's just an example.

Number six, how can this be applied in light of the new

covenant? We are new covenant people, and

this is especially important when we go through the Hebrew

Scriptures. The new covenant is your lens.

The new covenant is is your protection, the guardrails that

help you interpret and apply the things that you see in the old.

So we're always asking this, what New Testament truth can

shed light on this? Number seven, what does this

text point to? Or does this text rather point

to Christ in any way? So in Matthew 1113, there's a

fascinating statement that Jesus makes as he is paying homage to

John the Baptist. He says for the prophets and the

law have prophesied until John. Now I understand prophets

prophesying, right? I didn't know the law

prophesied, but Jesus said it does.

So there's even something about the law that foreshadows

something about the law that predicts something about the law

that's pointing. Jesus himself said that the law

prophecies. So how does it point to Christ?

And #8 is there another text that sheds light on this one?

And we're going to expound on that in a moment.

So let's, let's use some of these questions and, and explore

with some examples. Now I'm going to actually ask

this. Luke 638 says give and it will

be given to you. Good measure, pressed down,

shaken together, running over what we put into your lap for

the measure used. It'll be measured back to you.

Luke 638. Here's the question as an

example. What was said before or after

this text that I'm interpreting? Now, before we answer that, can

I ask you how have you heard this text taught?

Anybody have an idea? Yes, prosperity teaching,

tithing. I've heard this text reference

more at the offering time than anything else, right?

If you give, it'll be given to you.

Good measure. Press down, shake it together.

Right. Are we all in agreement here?

Does anybody know what comes before this verse?

Judge not, and you will not be judged.

Condemn not, and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you'll be forgiven. Give and it will be given to

you. Oh, so it's not about an

offering at the church? What is it about the judgement

you give to people, how you criticize, how you assess, how

you confront? So what is Jesus teaching here?

The way you judge, the way you determine somebody's innocence,

the way you determine somebody's guilt.

Listen, that standard will be used against you.

You see, all I had to do was read before that.

Here's another example. Oh, this is a good one.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

What do you think this means? Again, I'm not trying to

embarrass anybody or trick anybody genuinely.

When you just read this verse in isolation, what comes to mind?

I'll tell you what comes to mind.

The reliability of Christ or he's consistent.

Any other ideas? He's faithful is love will never

change. But what does it really mean?

Let's consider what is said after Jesus Christ is the same

yesterday and today and forever. Do not be LED away by diverse

and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be

strengthened by grace, not by foods which have not benefited

those devoted to them. So Jesus being the same is

included in the context of false teaching.

Christ doesn't change. So beware of these new ideas or

extra revelation or teachings that are pulling you away from

what you have known about Christ.

What has been made known about him remains the faith delivered

once and for all to the Saints. And so we understand that this

primarily means that if anything is being introduced to us that

contradicts who Christ has made himself known to be, then we

should be careful. This verse is really interesting

because what comes before it is when the author says, remember

your leaders, those who have taught you the word of God,

imitate their faith, right? And so this is a transitional

verse in some way, though you can't even say that verse 8

inform something back in verse 7.

Remembering your leaders. What does that have to do with

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

At least one point you can consider is leaders come and go,

but Christ remains. Even those pastors who've

inspired you and bless you, Yes, they may go on, but one thing

remains true. Christ is still here.

See how beautiful it is when you consider what's before or after

it? Matthew 18/19/20.

This one is dangerous. Let's look at it again.

I say to you, if 2 of you agree on earth about anything they

ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am

among them. When is verse 20 usually quoted

prayer meetings? Because usually two or three

only show up right where two or three are gathered to encourage

us, and there is encouragement there.

But is that what Jesus is really conveying?

What's the context here in Matthew 18?

Who knows? Let's look at a couple of verses

back verse 15 and 16. If your brother sins against

you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with

you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of

two or three witnesses. Church discipline.

So when Jesus says in verse 20 for where two or three are

gathered in my name, there I am among them.

He wants to let you know that when a church takes church

discipline seriously, I'm there. And when a church is going to

make a decision upon someone's salvation, if it's genuine, if

it's not based on their repentance, I am behind that

decision. I'm authorizing it, I'm backing

it up. And, and the same context speaks

about binding and losing. Have you heard of that?

How do people apply that? Let's we're going to bind Satan.

That has nothing to do with Satan.

We're going to loose this blessing on the earth.

That's nothing. It's speaking about who is able

to remain in the church and who has to go.

That's binding and losing. So This is why I'm staying on

this. I mean, this is just one of the

eight questions. And the reason why I am I'm

emphasizing is because it's it's the most important one.

Really. This is what's going to protect

you and I when it comes to our understanding of the Scriptures.

But let's consider another question.

What biblical principles does this text inform or illustrate?

And this is something you can see in any book of the Bible.

You can get answers from any passage of Scripture.

This is one that comes to mind in Exodus 2113, giving

instructions about what 1 is to do if they commit involuntary

manslaughter or those who commit intentional murder.

We read here in verse 12, Whoever strikes of Exodus 21 a

man so that he dies shall be put to death.

But if he did not lie and wait for him, but God let him fall

into his hand, then I will point for you a place to which he may

flee. And I highlight the part that I

think is so important. So I'm looking at this text.

I'm looking at this list of rules for a covenant that is not

binding on me. But again, I'm asking the

question, what does this text illustrate?

What does it inform? And here's what I discovered.

God let him fall into his hand. What does it say about God?

Any ideas? Somebody's saying he's

sovereign, that in the context of accidental death, we're

reminded that God was aware of it, that God allowed it.

He's sovereign. And see, see what's happening

now I'm reading through Exodus and I'm, I'm, I'm stirred to

worship like God Let him fall into his hand.

So keep those questions in mind and the more you train yourself,

the more they'll be automatic and it will revolutionize your

reading of the scripture. Let's come to tool #3 cross

referencing. This is commonly known as the

compatibility principle. And essentially what it says is

the Bible interprets the Bible. It is the best commentary for

itself. Now, the compatibility principle

is based on this conviction that God does not contradict Himself.

God doesn't make errors. Therefore, you can expect for

there to be a consistent flow of teaching from beginning to end.

And this encourages us to find more witnesses than the one that

we are facing concerning any truth.

And I want to ask you this question, does the Bible itself

promote this principle? I gave you a hint.

Do we see anything in the Bible that shows us the practice of

using the Bible to interpret the Bible?

Test his word? Yeah, sure, the Bible does tell

us to test the word to examine. But think to Jesus wilderness

experience, when Satan tempted him, what does Satan do?

Yeah, he he said it is written. It is written and he quotes

which passage, Psalm 91, to get Jesus to fling himself off the

temple so that he can prove that there is divine protection on

his behalf. And what does Jesus do in

response to that? Again, it is written.

And then he quotes Deuteronomy in order to counter this

misapplication of Psalm 91. So I bring this up to show that

the Bible itself uses this principle.

That we counter Scripture with Scripture.

That we look at the totality of God's Word and mine on a matter

before we arrive at a doctrine or conclusion.

Jesus himself did this. Now, there are a couple rules to

keep in mind with the compatibility principle #1 clear

passages must interpret unclear ones, and there are unclear

passages at least at face value. And if you're not careful, you

can make dangerous assumptions with those unclear passages.

And I gave one as an example. In first Corinthians 1529, Paul

is speaking about the resurrection.

You had the Corinthian believers beginning to not believe in this

thing called the resurrection. And at some point he he mentions

this. Otherwise, what do people mean

by being baptized on behalf of the dead?

If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on

their behalf? Baptized on behalf of the dead?

So this is how this has caused many people to scratch their

heads wondering what does Paul mean by this?

You know what the Mormons did with this?

They actually baptized on behalf of the dead.

So if you had a relative that didn't profess faith and you can

stand in proxy and you can go through the ritual of baptism on

their behalf so that they can be saved.

And what do they quote to back up that practice?

First Corinthians 1529. Now what does the compatibility

principle teach us? Well, when, when something seems

unclear, zoom out and see what else Scripture has to say.

For example, with baptism, this is there any other place in the

Bible that suggests that you can be baptized on somebody's

behalf? No, especially if they're dead,

even if they're alive. So one thing we know for

certain, Paul's not advocating for this kind of thing.

So then what is he saying? Just in case you're curious.

Well, look at his language very carefully.

Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of

the dead? He didn't say, what do we mean?

So he's looking at an outside practice, a Pagan one actually.

And what he's trying to convey to these stubborn Corinthians

is, hey, if you have such a hard time believing in this concept

of the resurrection of the dead, don't you understand that there

are others out there who are being baptized on behalf of the

dead? So if pagans have a have a grip

on the resurrection, that there are things that take place after

we die, why do you have so much trouble believing it?

You see, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the

dead? And so clear passages always

have to interpret and inform unclear ones.

Rule #2 don't ignore parallel passages.

The amount of times this happens and the reason why we don't do

this is not just so you know, we miss out on clarification, but

also to complement a unique text or an independent text.

So I want to use the example of Mary of Bethany breaking open

the alabaster flask. If you're reading it from John's

perspective, notice what he highlights in verse 4 of John

John 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12. But Judas Iscariot, one of his

disciples, he who was about to betray him, said, why was this

ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?

Now here's the here's the temptation.

You go through Mark, you go through Matthew and you come to

the same account and you, I've read this before and you just

glance over it. And what this principle says is,

hold on. If this is mentioned elsewhere,

believe every single time that it is there in order to

complement what you are reading. So then again, if we look at it

at math in Matthew, notice what Matthew says in Matthew 26,

eight and nine. And when the disciples saw it,

they were indignant, saying why this waste?

For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the

poor. So wait, John said, now do you

see now how my morning devotion is becoming exciting?

I'm reading John. I'm thinking, I wonder what

Matthew has to say about this. John says Judas, one of his

disciples, he complained. Matthew says the disciples saw

it and they were indignant, indignant, saying, I wonder what

Mark has to say. Mark 14 verse four.

There were some who said to themselves in Dingly, what was

the ointment wasted like that? So now I'm collecting these

things together. Judas said it, then the

disciples. And not only did they see it and

say it, but they said it to themselves.

What truths stand out to you from this?

What applications come to mind? Here's one started with Judas,

perhaps. Then the disciples agreed and

they began to say it. One thing that comes to mind is

complaining is contagious, right?

Started with one and the others caught the bug and they all

began to voice their concerns, supposed righteous concern.

But Mark adds another layer. They were saying it to

themselves and in Jesus and every time responds to this

right. But the fact that they said it

to themselves means that perhaps it was internal to begin with.

And Mark highlights that it was more internal.

It was more confined and then it became public.

But if I'm going to go with that, the danger of murmuring

and complaining, well, Jesus know, even when I'm complaining

to myself, even if nobody else hears it, even if it's in my

heart, even if it's underneath my own breath, Christ is aware

of it. Do you see how things begin to

now pop and light bulbs begin to to go off?

Don't ignore parallel passages. They were designed to give you a

tapestry of 1 scene. So everything that we've covered

up to this point is from the bird's eye view.

Now we're going to the worm's eye view.

These are just general kind of structural ideas and

observations, but as we come to tool #4, this is where it gets

really exciting. Pay attention to the details.

Pay attention to the details, and there are 4 details that I'm

highlighting here. I'm sure there are many others,

but these cover most of them. Locations.

Things such as cities, regions, physical landmarks like

mountains. Time markers.

Is there a year being presented in this text?

Is there a month? Is there a feast?

Remember, so much orbits around feasts in the Old Covenant.

What about even the time of the day?

Is this in the morning? Is this in the afternoon?

Is this at night? Time markers?

Keep an eye out for those objects, items, clothing,

materials like gold, silver, bronze #4 numbers, amount

measurements, numerical patterns.

So you want to be looking for these things, right?

Sometimes we want to go straight to somebody's speech and what

they say, or we want to look at somebody's actions, which are

wonderful, but there are other things included in there and the

Bible wastes no real estate. Whatever is included has a

purpose. However, however, there's a

warning and I'm going to read this.

I put this up there. I know it's a lot of words for

for a PowerPoint, but allow me to read this.

This is so crucial. There are times these details

are included simply to situate the account in the historical

context without necessarily caring literary or theological

implications. So you and I have to be cautious

with that, right? Because there are those who take

this principle and they think that there is a deep meaning

behind every single detail that's found in the scriptures,

and that's where you get into strange ideas and practices.

Readers should be cautious not to over spiritualize the setting

or infer meanings that aren't clearly supported.

Avoid attributing symbolic significance unless there's

strong evidence that the author intended it so.

This is especially prevalent with numbers.

Are there clear numerical patterns?

Absolutely. But there's some instances where

it's just showing you that the author was there or that this is

historically accurate. So one example that comes to

mind is when Jesus appears on the shore of the sea of Tiberius

and Peter and the other disciples are there with him

fishing. And then we see that heart

moment, warming moment where he tells him to cast the the net to

the other side and they catch this huge amount of fish.

And then we read that Peter brings the net over, it's filled

with large fish. And then we're told the number

of fish, 153. Now 153 is not a common number

in the Bible, but that hasn't stopped some people of looking

at some deep meaning behind it. And it, it, it just doesn't feel

right. And there's no ring to it.

It's just forced. And it's it's imposed and it's

personal and it's wild. And maybe you know something

about the 153 number that I don't.

But up to this point, what I know is John wants to tell us he

was there. We counted them.

There was 153. Another thing to learn was Peter

was strong because Pete, it says Peter hauled that net over.

And that says something about Peter, I'm sure.

And, and you can maybe expound on that, right?

He was a strong man. So be careful, be very careful,

be very cautious. Some people think they're deep,

but they're really drowning and nonsense.

So let's look at a couple of examples, shall we?

Time markers. So this is a wonderful example

to look at Genesis 28, verse 10 to 11.

Genesis 28:10–11

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran, and he came to a

certain place and stayed there at night because the sun had

set. Taking one of the stones of the

place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to

sleep. Now example, this is an example

of a time marker. So what time marker stands out

from this passage? You got it because the sun had

set right? Meaning what it's getting night

time, it's getting dark. So he pauses and he finds a

stone as a pillow to lay his weary head.

Now Jacob is on his way to his uncle Laban's right.

He was sent by his mom. Esau wanted to kill his brother

for for robbing of his blessing and so he makes his way towards

Laban. Does anybody know how long Jacob

was with his uncle for Genesis 3138.

These 20 years I've been with you, he's confronting his uncle.

Laban was more of a trickster than Jacob was.

Your yous and your female goats have not miscarried and I have

not eaten the Rams of your flocks.

Here's my question. How many times do you think over

20 years that the sunset and rise?

I'm not asking for the actual number, I'm just trying to get

you to think a lot, right? A lot.

And between 28 to 31. We see some mention of mornings

and evenings, but the language of the sun setting only appears

one other time in Jacob's narrative.

Does anybody know when good. He's making his way back?

He hears that he's about to meet Esau or Esau's about to meet

him. And in that wonderful account

where he wrestles with God. What do we read after that?

Genesis 32, verse 30 to 31. So Jacob called the name of the

Genesis 32:30–31

place Peniel, saying, For I've seen God face to face, and yet

my life has been delivered. The sun rose upon him as he

passed Pennue, limping because of his hip.

So the action of the sun here is only mentioned.

And all of this account when he walks toward and makes his way

towards Laban. Was that a fun period for

Jacob's life? It's very difficult, wasn't it?

He got a taste of his own medicine.

He was deceived, he was tricked, he was being humbled.

He was being LED into a dark season of his life.

And it lasted a long time, 20 years.

And then he has an encounter with God.

And when he has an encounter with God, he receives a new

name. He has a chance to actually give

his true identity. When he was asked, what is your

name and what happens? Look at the artistry of the

Bible. The sun rose upon him.

It's a new day for Jacob. It's a new day for a new man.

Now, you could have made that conclusion just on the fact that

Jacob encounters God, but it goes deeper than that.

The sun had set as he walked into a very unfortunate time

where he would be disciplined and he would be chastised and he

would be, he would be humbled. But when he encounters God, oh,

it's a new day for this man. And he has a different walk,

doesn't he? He's limping too.

When you encounter God, you're going to walk differently.

Time markers. What about objects?

Here's an example from the New Testament.

I mentioned John earlier, John 1818.

Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire because

it was cold and they were standing and warming themselves.

Peter also with them standing and warming himself.

What's Peter about to do in the scene?

The night Christ. Now if you had just read John 18

and you finished it and thought, OK, I'm done with John, I'm

going to go to Colossians, you might have missed the only other

place in the book of John where charcoal fire is mentioned.

John 21, when Jesus encounters the disciples fishing again, and

not only that, he prepared breakfast.

Can you imagine that? The Son of God preparing

breakfast barbecue and it says here in John 21/9 when they got

out on land they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out

on it and bread. Jesus said to them, bring some

of the fish that you have just got.

Only two times in all the book of John is a charcoal fire

mentioned when Peter denied Christ severely and when Jesus

was about to restore Peter. So what does that tell me?

I mean, now I'm thinking there's a symbol now with this charcoal

fire. This is more than just a detail

for the scenery. There's something attached to

this. There are two significant

moments now that are married to the charcoal fire.

And here's one thought that comes to mind.

Christ is prepared to meet us at the most egregious and

embarrassing moment of our unfaithfulness in order to

restore us. See, when we sin, Christ doesn't

want us to hide our sin. I wonder what the smell of the

charcoal fire was like for Peter at that time.

I wonder what the crackling of those embers triggered in Peter.

But Jesus wants to talk about his failure.

He wants to confront it, but look how gentle he is.

He wants to have a meal around it.

He's not going to take one of those coals and put it in his

shirt. Even though he disrobed himself,

I guess when he jumped out of the boat, he didn't want to hurt

Peter. He didn't want to brand Peter.

He want he wants to deal with it, but in gentleness, in

meekness, in conversation. And this chocolate flower for

Peter, I mean, this signifies the greatest failure of his

life. He failed a lot.

But the one thing you commit where Jesus said if you deny me

before men, I will deny you before my Father and his angels.

Talk about regret. Talk about shame.

Yeah. Jesus builds a charcoal fire and

he restores Peter around it. You see?

I mean you. You see this everywhere.

You see it with Jacob. If I can use Jacob again, what

animal did Jacob use to deceive his father to get Esau's

blessing and birthright? A goat, Right?

What kind of blood did Joseph's brothers use to convince Jacob

that Joseph was mauled by an animal?

Goat's blood. So Jacob deceived using a goat.

Now he's being deceived through a goat.

Goats are not good. You look at Genesis 38 and

another goat appears with Judah when he accidentally sleeps with

his daughter-in-law, Tamar, right?

So you see this motif, you see this motif, you see this

underlying principle, and it invites us to make these

wonderful connections. So pay attention to the details.

Tool #5 repetition, repetition, repetition.

Yes, Rather, yeah, yes.

Yeah, I would say so. Why those items?

The Scripture has anything else to say about them?

What's interesting is when you look at a prophecy in in Isaiah,

you have gold and frankincense mentioned as what kings will

bring to Messiah. Right, But but myrrh is

exempted. It's not mentioned, it's

omitted. So there's even undertones of

Jesus's baby boy being Messiah. But in Isaiah it speaks about

his millennial reign, what kings will do when they come to

Jerusalem and bring these items. Whereas what we see with the

kings in Jesus day at his birth is that they added one thing.

And and if you look at what myrrh signifies, what does it

signify? Yes, it signifies death.

So there is this prophetic connection between the other

elements, right? The prophet spoke about some of

the things that they will bring to Messiah, but then why did

they add the myrrh in Jesus account?

Because in his first coming he was going to die.

But in Isaiah's prophecy speaks about his second coming, he's

not going to die anymore. Does that make sense a little

bit, maybe come see me afterwards.

Yeah, I would say look at those materials.

Why these gifts? Is there anything in the Old

Testament that would that would maybe shed light on why these,

these rulers of some sort, these significant individuals are

approaching the Messiah in this way?

Great question. Repetition, repetition,

repetition. Just in case anybody didn't know

what repetition meant, Repetition in the Bible takes a

takes place when the same word or phrase or sentence or picture

or idea appears more than once within a defined context, right.

A definite space. Here's the thing about

repetition. Modern readers perceive

repetition as poor authorship, right?

Get it? Expand your vocabulary.

Use synonyms. But ancient authors didn't see

repetition in that way. Repetition, the way I like to

describe it, is the Bible's internal highlighter.

So it seeks to get the attention of the reader to recognize a

deeper message within within the text or more than one

application in that text. So here's an example of how that

looks in a single verse. Let's go to Revelation 22, verse

Revelation 22:17

17. Near the end of the entire

Bible, we read the Spirit and the Bride say come and let the

one who hears say come and let the one who is thirsty come.

Are the one who desires to take the water of life without price.

What word is repeated there? Yeah.

What does that signify to you? Could any of just said it once?

It's important. What else?

It's urgent if I say something more than once.

I'm trying to get you to understand how important this

is. I'm trying to convince you.

I'm trying to persuade you. I'm, I'm trying to have you

understand just how imperative this decision is.

So come, come. Not just once.

Come. What else?

It's responsive, right? So there's a there's something

that you have to answer to with this invitation.

Sure. Somebody had their hand up.

Yes, yeah, sure. So we had the Verily, verily

concept where something is emphasized to repetition.

It's saying, hey, what I'm about to say is very important.

But within this one verse, is there anything that stands out?

Say that certain, Sure. But look at the tool, the

repetition tool. Let the one.

Did you notice that the spirit of the bride say come and let

the one who hears say come and let the one who is thirsty come.

Let the One who desires to take the water of life without price,

let the one, Couldn't he have said let all?

Why are you saying let the One? Yeah, OK, maybe very few will do

it. Sure.

Individualistic. The invitation is personal you

personal you I'm God is thinking about you.

He's not thinking about humanity just as a whole.

He's looking at you as an individual and he's saying, let

the one you if you hear the invitation of the spirit and the

bride, come, come, come. I want to know you personally.

I'm inviting you personally. Do you see the beauty of this?

Do you see how the Bible repeats as an internal highlighter?

Let's look at an entire chapter. I mean, we went to Revelation.

Let's go to the opposite side. In Genesis, Genesis 1, three and

four, we read and God said, let there be light and there was

light, and God saw that the light was good.

And then you read on and what do you discover?

Verse 10 And God saw that it was good. 12 God saw that it was

good. 18 God saw that it was good. 21 God saw that it was

good. 25 God saw that it was good.

So whatever God is seeing, it's good.

And the Holy Spirit wants us to know.

And these are comments for different days of creation.

And then it climaxes at this point, verse 31.

And God saw everything that he made, he had made, and behold,

it was very good. So what does it tell you that

the Spirit of God in the very opening of Scripture wants to

show us that when God was creating, He was over and over

celebrating what He was doing. Well, just that God doesn't just

commend and rejoice when something is completed.

He rejoices over the progress. He celebrates as it unfolds, as

it develops, as it matures. So.

So God is a God who rejoices over the process.

And now I begin to think when God is working on my life and

I'm not where I want to be, my sanctification is not complete.

I can be assured though, that he, he celebrates what the

Spirit of God has is doing in me and, and how because of my, my

heart, I want to yield and be conformed to him.

I can be assured that he's not looking at me with crossed arms

and a frown. But when I'm introduced to God,

I see that he celebrates the progress.

And that's, that's a word for many of us who are frustrated

with our progress. As long as we're making our way

forward and even if we fall, we fall forward.

We know that there's a God who smiles over us.

Did you notice something else? The word good appears 7 times

and then the 7th time being very good.

So there is an element too of, of a rejoicing at completion.

You know, I read a quote the other day which I'm going to get

to near the end of this whole session.

Someone made the observation that if God rejoices over one

man's repentance, the start of our journey, what will we be

like at the end when we meet him face to face?

It's a wonderful thought, right? So an entire chapter we find

repetition, repetition, repetition.

Now here's a note to keep in mind.

Sometimes when a scene or speech is repeated, it's the

differences that send a message. So it's not the similarities,

it's not the echoing necessarily.

It's what stands out. Now some of you may remember

this from the Book of First Kings when Rehoboam was seeking

guidance and wisdom of how to deal with the request of the

people to be treated better than how his father treated them.

Notice his wording to the older advisors in First Kings 12 verse

1 Kings 12:6

6. Then King Rehoboam took counsel

with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father, while

he was yet alive, saying, how do you advise me to answer this

people? Now you read that plainly.

You think, OK, that's a legitimate question.

Does he take the advice of the old men?

No, he takes the advice of who? The young men who grew up with

him. And I want you to notice how he

addresses them in First Kings 12/9.

And he said to them, what do you advise that?

Not you. We.

What do you advise that we answer this?

People who have said to me, lighten the yoke that your

father put on us. What does that show about

Rehoboam? He already identified with the

younger man. Down deep inside, he wasn't

really looking for fresh insight.

He was looking for people that would agree with him.

And do we have the tendency of doing that?

When we see counsel, we may even present ourselves as somebody

who's looking for genuine advice or instruction, even though it

may not agree with us. But down deep inside, we're

fishing for yes men. We want somebody to agree with

us so we can we can have some kind of assurance or confidence

that this is the approach that we should take.

So even if, I mean, he's asking a similar situation, a similar

circumstance, a similar question, but it's worded

differently. And sometimes it's the

differences that send the message, not the similarities.

So repetition is so important. Are you guys ready to do some

homework right now? Ready or not?

How are we doing on time? Lunch is in 30 minutes.

Yes. Good.

I was hoping so. Here's what we're going to do in

the next. Let's give it 10 minutes.

Maybe by yourself, if you want to do with the people you came

with, maybe just one other person.

You're going to open up Genesis chapter 18 and you're going to

Genesis 18 · chapter mention

read the first 8 verses and you're going to apply whatever

we learned thus far. Remember, we are looking for

repetition. We are looking for details.

Details like location, time markers, objects, numbers, cross

references might be hard at this point, but we're looking for

questions to to be answered. Questions like what does this

text reveal about God? What does it reveal about man?

What kind of principle does an informer illustrate?

How can this be applied in light of the New Covenant?

And though not every question applies with what you heard thus

far, get with your group and I will signal to you when we're

going to reconvene together. Genesis 18 one to 8.

Do we need more time? We're OK.

All right. Let's gather together again.

How was it? Interesting.

Hopefully. That's a good Interesting.

All right. Whoever wants to contribute?

Any ideas, any observations, maybe even questions?

Yes, brother. Yeah.

So the Lord appears to him after that.

So you're asking the question, what came before this?

Very good observation. And there are wonderful

instructions from that point, Yes.

Anything else? Yes, the Lord appears with him

in three. Men.

Yes, he. Recognized that it was the.

Lord Yeah 3. Is symbolically the Trinity.

Yes. So some people do believe it's a

Trinity. The clarification, however, is

when you come next in Genesis 19 where you have two angels who

went to Lot in Sodom. So many who who do think it's a

Trinity have to consider that it seems to be that the Lord

appears as one person, one individual, and the two others

who accompany were actually angels.

But you're not the only one who's made that initial

observation. I would just encourage to

consider the next chapter to see who those members are exactly.

For by doing so, some people that entertain angels.

Without beautiful brother, did you hear the cross reference to

a principle in Hebrews chapter 13 about really hospitality?

Hebrews 13 · chapter mention

Is there a lot to learn about hospitality in the verses we

read? Yes.

Good, great. Thank you brother.

Did you have your hand up as well?

Yeah, there is the oaks of memory.

They appear more than once in Genesis, especially with

Abraham, but I would say that's a great thing that you're

highlighting there. We don't have time to explore

what that means exactly, but you are on to something very good.

Yes, yes, and because of. That his.

Actions corresponds to. God, we're going to quickly.

There's no. Delay.

There's no hesitation. Yes, very good.

Did you notice that that Abraham recognizes and even identifies

himself as a serpent? Now, let me ask you this.

Learning about Abraham up to this point, did we already

discover that he was a wealthy man?

Not just wealthy, very wealthy, right?

Did he have servants? Could he have just asked his

servants to prepare a meal for the Lord and the 2 angels?

Well, what does he do? He puts the apron on, right?

What's that? Yes, exactly.

So he does. He does include others, but he

is also waiting on them. And we'll get to that in a

moment. Yes, Jonah.

I see. A image.

Oh now you're getting deep yes yes, yes we're going to have fun

at lunch we did there is a deeper meaning here our brother

Yona has it. I know it, yes, but those are a

great that's a great point. There is there is a consistency

here. There is a parallel that you can

make between how Abraham treats the Lord under this tree and how

there is another instance where idols are dealt with underneath

the tree. That's a great point too.

That's that's very deep. Yes.

Yeah. They they he wasn't expecting

them when they arrived, right. He was, he seems to be

surprised. Sure, yes, very good.

He is. Do you see that he can move for

a 99 year old, right. Because in verse 14, the Lord's

going to tell them one year from now Sarah's going to have a

child. So how old did he give?

What? How old was Abraham when he had

Isaac? He was 100.

Meaning what? How old is he here?

99? Yes, yes, right here, Brianna.

We'll get to you, brother. That's a great point too.

I mean, you have this, this man who inflicts pain upon himself

in order to obey God, and yet his posture of service is so

strong immediately after, contextually speaking, Yes.

Yes, brother. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,

absolutely. And a couple of people already

made that point. It's true.

There's something about the timing.

There's something about the timing.

Abraham and his house will being circumcised and the Lord making

himself known to Abraham. Yes, somebody had their hand up

here. Yes, Grace.

The quality, Yeah. He, he brought a quality meat

before his guest. Sure.

Yes. Right.

Yeah, sure. I mean, there's this mirroring

picture of humbling yourself. And that's probably one of the

most humbling things you can do is to wash somebody else's feet

at that time. Absolutely.

Right. Yes.

Yeah, yeah.

So now you're sure. So now you're wondering and

questioning and examining. This is good.

Yes, over here and over here. And then we'll look at it

together more. Very.

Good. Did you notice?

That outside, which means he was in a very uncomfortable position

and. Sometimes.

Hospitality can be very uncomfortable and costly, and he

was just sitting out there in that heat in his elderly age,

waiting on God to bring that operation.

Excellent point. Did you notice the time marker?

It was in the heat of the day. We're talking about Middle

Eastern heat. This is hot, right?

OK, we're going to go, I mean, somebody else here, then Joey.

And then Joey, we're going to end with you before we move on.

Yes, So there's many repeated words here.

Yes. And we're going to explore more

of those. Very good, Joey.

I noticed that before he actually served, he was

worshipped. Reminded me back to Mary and

Mark when they were separated here.

And Abraham did it. He worshipped and He provided.

Hospital yes, so there's devotion in the heart and

practical service here. Absolutely you, you all did a

wonderful job. Let's look at some of these

things you already mentioned some of them.

Verse one tells us that it was in the heat of the day.

He meant this is just surface level.

We're not even getting deeper deeper here, just preliminary in

the 10-15 minutes we had. So there's the heat of the day.

So as our sister alluded to already mentioned that this was

probably very uncomfortable for Abraham, right?

It was not a very convenient time, but it was in the heat of

the day. That says something.

He ran. Did you notice that twice we

read that he ran the word quick appears three times quickly,

quick, quickly, quickly, right. So the Lord deserves immediate

obedience. There shouldn't be hesitation

and obedience there should be, there shouldn't be hesitation in

our worship and our sacrifice. Did you notice this in verse 4?

What did He initially offer them in verse four?

Look at it again, I'll read it. He says let a little water be

brought. Notice little water, let a

little water be brought and wash your feet and rest yourselves

under the tree while I bring a morsel of bread that you may

refresh yourselves and after that you may pass on since you

have come to your servants. So what does He offer them as a

meal? Just take a snack, a morsel of

bread, right? What does he offer them?

A cow. So what is what is that milk?

And it's a whole feast. So maybe you've experienced this

where somebody knows you're driving by town and they text or

you texted me, say, come over, just come over for a cup of tea,

right? This is especially known among

Middle Easterners, right? It's not just going to be tea.

You know, it's not leftovers. And there's going to be a whole.

It's going to be like Thanksgiving, right?

And you thought you were just coming for tea.

So is Abraham lying here? No, it's not.

He's not lying, but it's showing just he's willing to go above

and beyond for the Lord, right? And so he's trying to convince

them like, look, it seems like you're on your way.

Here's just a morsel of bread. But in reality, once you got him

seated, he says get the best cow we have, right?

And that really brings us to the next point.

It was tender and good. He didn't look for a weekly

sickly animal. He found the best that he can

offer to the Lord. And brother, do you want to get

something before we move on? Doing what was strange, I will

point out that 3 is a a a gimmel which is a symbol of a camel and

helping board a door in the Hebrew letter of the valid and

there's a whole bunch of message in a camel symbolically.

So I think the the scripture is pointing us to the meaning of a

letter. OK, which is?

The letter that is the #3. Yeah, see, this is where this is

beyond my expertise with Hebrew, and this is something we'll talk

about after the lunch break. But this is something worthy of

discussion. Absolutely.

There's something to consider about some of these original

terms and symbols. Notice in verse 8, just because

of the sake of time, we read that at the end of the whole

scene, what's Abraham's posture? Does he sit with them?

What is standing symbolize? Yeah, he's, I served you up to

this point, but I'm ready. If you call me, I will do

anything else. I'm still in the active position

of serving. You know, some people, they

serve, and then I want to take a break from serving the Lord.

You know, that's not Abraham. Abraham, I'm ready to serve

again. And that's even more impressive

when you consider his age. He's 99 at this point.

And more than that, this is something that stood out to me.

What about his attitude? He's 99.

Sure. And what hasn't come yet?

The promise he's going to find out after this that it's going

to be a year from then that Isaac would be realized.

But look at his attitude while he waits on God.

Is he bitter? Does he drag his feet?

Is he huff and puff? Oh, it's the Lord.

The same one that promised me 25 years ago that I was going to

have his son, and that is that. Is that Abraham's attitude?

No, while he waits on God, he is serving with his whole heart.

Are you doing the same? Am I doing the same?

He's a model of faith according to the New Testament, not just

in justifying faith, but in practical faith.

He's waiting on the Lord. And while he's waiting, he's

giving everything he has to the Lord because he loves God, not

just for the promise, but the promise, Sir, who he is, As we

already mentioned, our brother mentioned that one New Testament

application, according to Hebrews 13, is we should, we

should be as people of God, hospitable.

And we have a wonderful model in Abraham.

Yes, brother, you had something else.

While he was serving it at the end, he got provided the tree

for the coolness versus. The sun, Sure.

Yes, yes. Otherwise it would have been

really. Hot, it would have been exactly.

Yes, absolutely. This is just one sample of how

when we do what we just learned, when we ask these questions and

when we we zoom in and we meditate, things begin to

glisten in our Bibles. And this is just the surface.

We haven't even really brought in it.

We could have compared Abraham's hospitality in Genesis 18 to

Lot's hospitality in Genesis 19, right?

There's so many other things that we can explore, but for

now, we're going to eat. We're going to eat just like we

learned here. We're going to have a meal.

Allow me to pray for us and it will return at 1:30.

Lord, we do thank you for this first part.

We thank you for the tangible excitement and the contagious

spirit for the things of God and the Word of God.

We pray now that as we feast together that the spirit of

hospitality would be obvious. We thank you for the hospitality

team that throughout the week have been preparing for this

time. We thank you for the the meal

that we're we're going to enjoy. May it only facilitate the

fellowship that you call us to have.

And Lord, may the rest of this afternoon be to your glory.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen and Amen.

We'll see you back in here at 1:30.

Just make your way downstairs. There's Chick-fil-A and other

snacks waiting for you. God bless you.

We'll see you soon.