How to Read the Bible | Brad Straarup

Because let me tell you something.

This word holds the words of eternal life.

If you are struggling to know your purpose, if you are struggling to know the thing that God has called you to do, this word has what you need.

If you are in pain right now, this word has the ability to bring joy.

If you are lost right now, this word has the ability to help you be found, to give you direction.

If you're struggling with sorrows, this word can give you comfort.

And you know, this book is not only a book that will tell you about God, this book is a book that will teach you how to have a relationship with God.

Which so many of us want.

There have been more people who have given their lives, who have been martyred for this book.

And yet for so many of us, it sits on the shelf.

For so many of us, it collects dust.

And I was talking to people and I was like, why is that the case?

Like, why do we think that happens?

And I think we have the best of intentions as to why that happens.

It's not because we don't actually believe this is the word of God, but I was talking to my group and I was like, why don't we read the word?

And they gave me a number of reasons, and one of the reasons is just this.

I think that we just don't understand it.

Anyone?

Like you open it up and you start reading about boiling a baby goat in its mother's milk, and you're just like, what does this even mean?

You're like, this makes absolutely no sense.

That's one of the main reasons.

Another one is this we just don't know where to start.

There's 66 books.

Like, where do I go?

Like, how do I know where it is that I actually need to start?

It feels so unapproachable.

A third reason that I hear a ton is this I don't have the time.

I don't have the time.

My life is busy, I have kids, I have work, it feels inconvenient.

A fourth reason is this we just don't know how it applies to our lives.

How do these ancient texts actually apply to what I am struggling with here and today?

And then someone got really honest and they're like, and another reason is this it's it just feels boring.

Anyone ever felt that before?

Like you're reading the Bible and you're like, man, it just it just feels boring.

I'm convinced of this.

That if we just knew how to read the word of God, that it would be something that we would crave, if we just knew how to read the word of God, it will be something that you enjoy.

And my entire purpose of this series is to help you know how to read the word, because I'm convinced if we do that, everything will change.

And I think there's various ways that people try.

Maybe you have done this before.

Anyone just started in the beginning before?

Genesis?

And you're like, this is awesome.

You're like, I'm reading about creation, the fall.

You're like, this is awesome.

Reading about Abraham, and then you get into Exodus, and God's people are in slavery, and you know God's gonna free them, and like Moses comes and he's like, let God's people go, and you're like, yes, it's like a movie.

Like, this is Sparta.

You're like, this is amazing.

You read it, Genesis, Exodus, and then you get into Leviticus, and then you die in the book of Leviticus.

You're just like, I'm out, you're like, this makes no sense.

If you're not laughing, you've never read the book of Leviticus.

Okay?

You're like, why are we reading about these things?

These things make no sense.

Maybe that's what you do.

Maybe you don't just start at the beginning.

I was talking to some people, and they're like, no, what I do is I play Bible roulette.

It's like Russian roulette, and it's just as dangerous.

Because people are like, ooh, let's let's I'm just gonna open up the Bible, and wherever I get, like the first thing I get, that's what we're gonna read.

So they're doing the thing, and they're like, okay, let's open it.

And they're like, Matthew 27, 5.

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left, and then he went and hanged himself.

And you're like, oh no.

You're like, that's awful.

Like that can't, that can't be for me.

You're like, so because this works so well, I'm gonna do it again.

And you're like, let me flip the page, and then Luke 10, 37, go and do likewise.

That can't be what God's will is for me, so I'm gonna try this one more time because this is working so well for my life.

John 13, 27.

So Jesus told him, Whatever you're about to do, go do it quickly.

It doesn't work.

That is not the best way to read the Bible, but it's what we do so often.

So, what I want to do in the series is my goal is simple.

I want to give you a practical approach to how to read the Bible.

So, today I'm Professor Brad.

Welcome, welcome to my class.

All right, this is what we're gonna do.

We're getting very, very practical.

This is something that I used to do, and if you do not like class, come back next week.

It's gonna be so much funnier and so much better, and you're gonna love it.

It's gonna be awesome.

Okay, but I really want to help you because so many people say I've been a Christian my entire life.

I just don't know how to read the Bible.

So we're gonna do that today.

Next week, we're gonna talk about the Old Testament.

I'm gonna give you an overview of the Old Testament.

The week after that, I'm gonna talk you through the gospels and parables.

How do we read those?

And then the week after that, we're gonna hit letters.

Y'all, if you've ever wanted to know how to go deep with the Bible, welcome to Spirit Church.

We're gonna help you out.

That's exactly what we're gonna do.

So today, I have the most important and difficult challenge teaching you how to read the Bible in 30 minutes.

Y'all pray for me, okay?

Y'all pray for me.

First, let me talk about this.

Why should we even read it?

There's a verse in Psalms that I absolutely love that talks about why we should read the Bible, and it says this the law of the Lord is perfect.

Say perfect.

That means it's complete.

It has everything that we need, every question that we need answered is in the Bible.

And you have to trust it enough that if it does not answer your question, that isn't a question that you need answered in order to succeed in this life.

The law of the Lord is perfect, it refreshes our soul.

They are trustworthy, they make wise the simple, they are right, they bring joy.

If you're looking for joy, joy is found in his word.

They are radiant, they give light to our eyes.

They are pure, they endure forever.

The decrees of him are firm, they are righteous.

And it says this that they are more precious than gold.

They are sweeter than the honeycomb.

By them your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is a great reward.

Everything that we need is found in his word.

When Paul was writing about the Old Testament, not even the New Testament, he said this to Timothy in 2 Timothy.

He says, All scripture, say all scripture, not some.

All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness that the man or woman of God may be complete.

You can have everything that you need equipped for every good work.

Say every.

Everything that we need is found in the Bible.

All scripture is profitable, even Leviticus, even the parts that seem hard to understand.

Like, imagine this.

When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness, he responded with scripture.

Do you know what he quoted?

Deuteronomy.

Can you imagine if your spiritual success this week was determined by how well you knew Deuteronomy?

Like we would be in trouble.

Okay, all scripture is God breathed.

Hebrews 4 verse 12, it says this that his word is sharper than any double-edged sword.

Hebrews 4:12

That if you're looking for direction, it's here.

If you're fighting temptation, it's here.

If you're wanting to be trained in godliness, it's here.

It prepares us for everything that we need.

So the question is this we know why we need to study it.

People always ask me, but who can study it?

Anyone can study the Bible.

It's not just for pastors.

Praise God.

You can study the Bible too.

But here's what's crazy.

Everyone can study the Bible, but it actually takes the Spirit of God in you to actually understand the Bible.

1 Corinthians 2 verse 14 says it this way.

1 Corinthians 2:14

It says that the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, but considers them foolishness.

If you're not saved, if you're not following Jesus and you read the Bible, it will appear as foolishness to you.

But it says this it cannot be discerned.

They cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

Why do we read the Bible?

It's because it has everything that we need.

Who can read it?

Everyone.

But if you just got saved, you might be like, What is it?

Like, what is the Bible?

Like, is it a single book?

Like, how do I approach it?

Let me give you a definition.

It says this the Bible is a collection of writings, history, laws, prophecy, poetry, biographies, and letters written by people inspired by God, telling one unified story of our need for Jesus and it shapes us to live like Him.

Amen.

That's what the Bible is.

And what's crazy about it is how many cross-references there exists in the Bible.

I want to show you this picture.

These are the cross-references.

If you've ever read your Bible, you know you have that little area in the middle that has all its cross-references?

This is those cross-references visualized.

Every line you see at the bottom there is a chapter.

That really long line in the middle, that's Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible.

What you're seeing is a bunch of cross-references, everything referencing itself.

There are over 63,000 of them.

If a person wrote a book with 63,000 cross-references, we would call them a master.

We would call them a genius.

We would say, I don't know the ingenuity that it would take to pull off something like that.

Here's what's crazy: the Bible wasn't written by one person.

The Bible is 66 books that was written in three languages over three continents, over 1500 years, by 40 authors that tells one story.

If that doesn't make you believe in God, I don't know what will.

Three languages Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and they all come together to produce this beautiful book.

Let us not let it connect collect dust on our nightstand.

So let's get practical.

Y'all ready?

How do we read this book?

There's three things that we're gonna do throughout this series.

There's three things that I want you to do whenever you're reading the Bible.

The first thing is this I want you to pick a translation you understand.

And then I want you to choose a time, place, and a plan that you'll keep, and then we're gonna choose the right approach.

You approach different books differently.

So we're gonna choose a translation you understand.

You're gonna choose a time, place, and plan that you'll keep, and then you're gonna choose the right approach.

Can I just say, are y'all willing to commit that this series we're gonna read our Bibles?

That we're gonna actually put this into practice?

Okay, so go about the first thing.

Choose a translation you understand.

This is critical.

I remember my very first Bible that I got.

I loved it.

I was in grade one.

I was just learning to read.

And I was like, this is gonna be beautiful.

And then I opened it up, and then I opened it up to James.

And James has a lot of great things to say.

This is what it said: Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth that we should be the kind of first fruits of his creation.

God bless you.

If you read the King James Version, God bless you.

And if you're like, that sounds like Shakespeare.

Yeah, because it was written in 1611 when Shakespeare was alive.

Okay?

Pick a translation that you understand.

Let me show you that in the NLT, which is a more modern translation.

It says this so do not be misled, my brothers and sisters.

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God, who created all the lights in the heavens.

He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word, that's Jesus.

And we, out of all creation, are his prized possession.

Amen.

Isn't that beautiful?

It all of a sudden makes sense that we're not reading about who begat what.

Pick a translation you understand.

And people often say, How do I even do that?

Because there are hundreds upon hundreds of translations.

And what even is a translation?

Let me break you down, break it down what a translation is.

We believe that the Bible is written by God.

There is a divine author that spoke to people, and humans held the pen.

So there's dual authorship, okay, whenever it comes to the Bible.

Those humans put pen to paper on what is called an original text.

And then because we didn't have printing presses, people started copying it.

So we have thousands of copies of this original text.

And now what we do is we go back thousands of years, we find those copies, we bring them all together, and then we see, man, thousands of them put a comma here.

Thousands of them have this word here.

And then we know what the original said.

That develops a critical text, is what it's called.

And translators or a translation team takes the critical text and they translate it into the Bible that we read.

That beautiful that's exactly how it happens.

Let me encourage you if you're picking a translation, pick one that has a team and not just a person.

Okay?

Not just a person.

There's something called the Bible continuum that I want you to show you.

A translation continuum.

On the left, whenever you're reading a Bible, you're gonna have Bibles that are word for word.

And then you're gonna have Bibles that are thought for thought.

And then you're gonna have Bibles that are more of a paraphrase, that's more like a commentary than it is a Bible.

Pick something in the middle.

Okay?

Word for word is great, but sometimes it's kind of hard.

Okay?

Like, for example, in South Africa, I'm from South Africa, that's why I talk funny.

I'm from South Africa.

We speak Afrikaans.

So I might say a sentence to you like, Hey sit, met the monthful thunder.

And you're like, what does that mean?

I'm like, great, I'll translate it for you word for word.

He sits with a mouth full of teeth.

God bless you.

Did that help anyone?

Okay, let me give you the thought.

The thought is this he doesn't know what to say, so he just sits with a mouth full of teeth.

Y'all get it?

Okay.

That's the thought for thought.

Okay, that's what it means.

So you want to find something that kind of balances out.

Great options would be this.

The NIV, that's what I read out of the most.

It's what I teach out of.

If you have an NIV Bible, you're here at Spirit Church.

Often when I'm reading, it's gonna say the same thing.

The NLT is a little bit more on the thought-for-thought side.

It's beautiful, it's also very disciplined with the words.

Great devotional Bible.

If you're just like, I just need to understand the Bible, I would start there.

ESV is great for word for word.

If you're reading letters or the law, that's where you're gonna start.

Okay, y'all got translations down?

Pick those, start, go for it, it's gonna be beautiful.

Second thing, I need you to find a time, a place, and a plan that you love.

Okay?

Time, pick what works best for you.

Morning, evening, on a drive.

Do whatever works best for you.

My preference is the morning.

Why?

Because Jesus did the morning.

It says early in the morning he got up to pray.

Okay, there's something about starting your day with God.

It fixes your thoughts.

My day is completely different.

When I start with God, when I start with Jesus, I put him first in my day through Bible reading.

I put him first in my week through church.

I put him first in my year through 21 days of prayer and fasting.

Put him first, it changes everything.

Okay?

But pick a time that works best for you.

My preference is morning.

Then pick a place.

That favorite chair.

You know, that dining room table.

You know, that patio.

Pick a place that you like, that coffee mug.

We all know that the secret to Bible study is a coffee mug.

You need a Hebrews coffee mug.

It's a Bible joke.

Who don't know?

There's a book of the Bible by the name of Hebrews.

Okay, you need a Hebrews coffee mug.

That's what you need.

Okay?

And find a method that works.

Some people like a physical Bible, I think that's beautiful.

Some like a digital Bible.

I read out of a digital program called Logos.

I have all my commentaries.

And some people like to listen to it.

My wife likes to listen to it.

And let me just say I was super legalistic about that.

She would listen to the Bible and I'd be like, it's not the same as reading.

I'd be like, it's not the same as reading.

And what's crazy is I was reading 20 minutes, but she was listening for 45 minutes.

Okay?

And then I realized, man, I I'm I'm so religious about this.

It doesn't matter how you consume the Bible, just consume the Bible.

Okay, just hear the actual words of God more than anything.

Okay, find a place, find a method.

Final thing is find a plan.

U version, the Bible app, there's over 53,000 plans.

Just pick one.

But if you're like, okay, Brad, where can I start?

I'm trying to look.

There's a couple of things you can do.

One of the first things is you can just start with a book of the Bible.

If you do that, get yourself a good study Bible.

They're like 20 bucks.

And if you open up to the beginning of that book, it will actually explain that book.

If you read this, everything else will make sense.

Even the boiling of the goats in the mother's milk.

It just happened.

Just read this and you're like, okay, I get what they're gonna do.

Another great resource for you is something called the Bible Project.

So you can go on YouTube and you can YouTube any book of the Bible and they'll break it down in 10 minutes.

There's drawings, it's beautiful.

Before you study a book of the Bible, go here first because everything is gonna make sense.

If you're like one of those super duper duper duper duper Christians and you're like, I just want to go deep, I want to go deep, find a commentary.

Okay?

That's like your study Bible notes on steroids.

Okay?

You're like, what commentary should I use?

Go to bestcommentaries.com.

For every book of the Bible, they're gonna give you three other books you can read.

Those are for my nerds.

Where are my nodes at?

Where are my nodes at?

Praise God.

Okay, that was for you.

I put that in just for you guys.

Okay, if you're looking for a book of the Bible, you're like, where should I start?

If you want to know the story of God, start in Genesis.

If you want to know what is the purpose of life, go to Ecclesiastes.

If you want to know about Jesus, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, start in John.

If you want to know about theology, start in Romans.

Pick a book of the Bible.

Y'all got it.

Second thing is you can pick a person in the Bible.

David, Esther, Abraham, Ruth, where my lady's at?

Ruth.

Yeah.

I don't see what y'all doing, but it's what it sounded like you're doing.

Eliza.

Eliza.

Pick a person.

A third thing is you can pick a theme.

I want to know about forgiveness.

I'm struggling with anxiety right now.

I'm struggling with knowing what my purpose is right now.

You can start there.

You can also do a daily devotional.

Jesus calling as one, my utmost for his highest as one.

Pick a devotional.

But the fifth way, my favorite way, is the Bible in the year.

Okay?

Read through the Bible in the year.

Not a little longer.

It's going to take you about 15 minutes.

But there's a couple of ways you can do it.

One of them is called blended reading.

And what this is, is the one your Bible or the Bible in a year.

You can buy these on Amazon or you can download the plan.

It's going to give you a little bit of the Old Testament, a little bit of the New Testament, a little bit of a proverb, a little bit of a psalm.

That helps you because when you're in Leviticus, I'm still reading about Jesus.

And you're like, okay, I can I can push through Leviticus because I'm reading about Jesus.

The hard thing about that is it can become difficult to track what the book is saying because you're just your fingers in four places.

If that makes sense.

So that brings a Bible in the year through a sequential plan.

So the Bible recap is chronological.

I don't know if you'll know this, but your Bible is not chronological.

Your Bible is done by genre, so you have history, you have the prophets, you have wisdom, you have all of that.

A chronological Bible is gonna help you a ton.

Or I have a friend that puts together what is called the Bible Project, and it's the Bible in the year.

They actually have a video that goes with every single day, which is an undertaking, and they start in Luke.

So you get some momentum before you hit Leviticus.

Can I get a good amen?

So pick a plan that works for you.

If the plan doesn't work, change the plan.

Sometimes for me, to be honest with you, plans mess me up.

Because again, I get religious about stuff.

I don't know if anyone else is like that.

And I'm like, I need to read three chapters, and I'm just missioning through three chapters.

And I'm like, ooh, this verse is really good, but I have to finish.

Anyone ever felt that?

Anyone, this is like recovery for me right now.

Like, anyone ever experienced that?

There came a point where I actually stopped all of that and I said, I'm gonna read for 20 minutes.

Sometimes I would read three chapters, sometimes I would read two verses, and it would grip my soul.

And I'm read I'm researching that verse.

And that was better for me than just trying to read the whole thing.

You have to find a plan that works for you.

Final thing, this we're gonna spend a bit of time.

Choose the right approach.

Okay?

When it comes to Bible reading, your approaches are so, so important, or else you're gonna misinterpret this thing.

Okay?

There are some dangerous approaches when it comes to reading the Bible.

Here are some things not to do, okay?

The first one is reading it in a way, I call it the sensitive approach.

It's emotional.

It's like, man, what feels right?

What feels good?

You know, you're like John 3.16, I'm gonna read that for God so love the world.

I've got my arms around that one.

But then what you start doing is you start skipping all the things that might challenge you.

Okay?

And you start missing parts of the Bible, okay?

Don't do the sensitive approach.

Then there's the super spiritual one where you're always trying to find what is the deep hidden meaning in the word.

Like I know it's saying x, but if I squint my eyes real good, it says why.

There's some things that you don't need to read that deep into.

My friend J.R.

sends me a text, hey bro, I hope you're good.

I'm like, what does he mean by that?

When he says bro, does he mean like brother, like he thinks we're family?

Or does he mean like brother, like brother in Christ?

Like when he says hope, is he just hoping that I'm good, or does he know something that I don't and he knows I'm gonna be bad?

Y'all are laughing because you've done it.

There's just some people.

You just read too much into the text, you're like, man, that's not what it's supposed to be.

Be careful that you're not always doing that in the Bible.

Sometimes it's helpful, sometimes it's not.

Another dangerous approach is what I call the selfishly pragmatic.

What works best for me?

So I will twist this to match me.

Oh, I know what the Bible says about marriage, I know what the Bible says about gender, I know what the Bible says, but no, no, no, no, no.

That just doesn't work for me.

So I'm gonna skip over things and I'm gonna put myself over the Bible instead of kneeling under it.

What works best for me?

At some point you have to decide what is your rock.

Is the word gonna be your rock and culture is gonna come around it?

Or is culture your rock and you will warp the word to fit it.

Okay?

We can't read it in a selfishly pragmatic pragmatic way.

And the final way is superficial, which is this what does it mean for me?

If you've ever been to a Bible study, sometimes someone will say, Okay, what does this text mean to you?

So, man, we're all just there talking about what it means to us.

And if we're not careful, we just descend into ignorance.

Because it's not about what it means to you, it's about what did the Holy Spirit mean when he He wrote it.

The Bible, it only means one thing.

Now there's different applications, but it only has one meaning.

So let's not say what does it mean to you, and let's ask instead, what does it mean?

Like, just what does it mean?

Like, that's what we're trying to find out.

Okay, so I'm gonna help you with a safe approach, okay?

Y'all ready for for for Professor Brad?

Okay?

Praise God.

Let me give you a safe approach to reaching the Bible, and we'll use this throughout the series.

First step is observation, what do I see?

Second step is understanding, what does it mean?

The third step when you're reading the Bible is implication, how does it relate?

The fourth step is application, what do I do?

You're like, man, you just sound like you just rapped.

Like I have no idea what you just said.

Great, I'm gonna I'm gonna help you.

If you go on a missions trip, okay, to Africa, I'm from Africa.

Okay?

How many of you know that there's some things about our culture that you don't understand?

There's some things about your culture I didn't understand.

When I first walked into a house and I saw all the shoes, I was like, man, these people are messy.

I just kept walking right by.

And eventually they're like, hey, we're no shoes household.

I'm like, what does that even mean?

I had no idea that that was a thing until I moved to America.

Okay?

There's some cultural things that are often different.

When you're reading the Bible, you are reading, it's like going on a mission strip, coming into a plane, and you're landing in a city and a place that you don't understand.

Okay?

You have to figure out what this actually means to them.

So observe their home.

That's a great way to understand it.

I'm observing the text as home.

Okay?

And then I'm trying to understand their home.

And then what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to bring it back home.

And then what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna apply it in my home.

As I'm coming back on the plane, I'm reflecting on my missions trip, and I'm like, okay, what principle did I learn?

Because I went to France and everyone kisses each other hello.

Oh, I got it.

I'm gonna come to America.

I'm just gonna start kissing everyone.

No, no, no, no, no.

The principle is a friendly greeting.

So, what I'm gonna do instead is I'm maybe gonna give people a hug.

Right?

That's what we need to do when we read the Bible.

So, we're going on a missions trip.

Here we go.

We are going to China.

I'm gonna I'm gonna really help you with this because people are like, this is the part that people miss.

We are going to China, and when you're in China, we're at this mission trip.

Congratulations, you made it to China.

Praise God.

You might see some things.

Something you might see when you go to China is someone burping at the dinner table.

And what will you say?

What does that mean to us?

Man, they're rude.

Okay, but what does it mean to them?

It actually is a sign of gratitude.

Compliment someone said interesting.

Compliments to the chef.

Okay?

How does that relate to us?

What that means is it's expressing gratitude.

So, what am I gonna do?

I'm not gonna come to America and start burping.

I'm just gonna give a verbal compliment.

Y'all get it?

Okay, let's do another one.

Okay, you're there, and what you see is a gift being refused multiple times.

What does that mean to us?

They don't want the gift.

What does it mean to them?

They want the gift.

How does that relate to us?

What's happening is they're trying to show appreciation.

So, what we're gonna do, we might just say, You're so kind, I didn't expect that.

You all tracking with me?

Let's do one more.

Okay, one more.

Palm up jester, everyone do this.

You're like, what is this?

Is this a military sign?

Are we Shakespeare right now?

Is that what is happening?

Are we begging for money?

No, no, no, no, no.

Check this.

What it means for them, it's actually a way of pointing because using your fingers are rude.

Okay, so how do we relate?

Oh, what they're trying to do is they're trying to be respectful.

So maybe I'm not gonna point because you're gonna think I'm pointing at you.

Maybe how I'm gonna apply what I learned in China is I'm gonna do a little karate chop motion.

Yeah, where's kids?

It's over there.

Where's the bathrooms?

Got it right over there.

Parking?

There.

Okay, I'm not gonna just go like it's there, kids is there.

Where's growth track?

There.

Does that make sense?

That's what we need to do with the Bible.

You can't just take it and apply it directly.

I'll show you.

First Corinthians 16, verse 20 says this: greet one another with a holy kiss.

1 Corinthians 16:20

It's a command.

Next week it's spurt.

We'll just double not work.

How do you close down a church like that?

Here's another one.

Leviticus 19, 28.

Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoos on yourself.

People will use it and say you're not allowed to have the tattoos.

What's the context?

For the dead.

It's like a form of mourning that they used to do.

Do not cut yourself and put tattoos for the dead.

Leviticus 19 says this, 1919 says this.

Do not wear clothing of two kinds of material.

So if you're wearing polyester, I'm sorry, you are not a Christian.

According to that.

So we're just going 100% cotton from here on out at Spirit Church.

That's what we're gonna do.

That's weird.

That's weird.

Okay, so what we need to do, we need to have a safe approach, which is we're gonna observe their home, we're gonna understand their home, we're gonna bring it back home, and then we're gonna apply it in our home.

And I'm gonna do it in the last 10 minutes using a scripture that is so often taken out of context.

There were so many that I could have picked, but I'm picking Philippians 4 13, the sports verse.

You know it.

I can do.

Come on, say it with me.

All things through Christ who strengthens me.

It's facing the giants, it's Friday night light.

Oh, that team thinks they're tougher.

We're tougher.

Because I can do through him who strengthens me.

Praise God.

The funny thing is, they're quoting that exact same verse, and then you realize that you lose, and then apparently you can't do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and some are gonna be like something, summer went wrong.

Right?

I cannot bench a thousand pounds.

No, you can't.

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

That is an easy way to die.

That's not right.

Okay?

It has to mean something else.

So let's observe it.

Okay, that's the first thing we're gonna do.

We're gonna observe it.

And how you observe it is you might ask some questions like this Who wrote the book?

What is happening in the book?

When is it happening?

Where is it happening?

Why is it happening?

You might read commentaries, you might read your study Bible, you might just read the whole book and you'll start understanding.

Oh, it's written by Paul, and Paul is in prison.

He's writing to a church in Philippi.

Why he is writing it is he's thanking them for their support and he's encouraging them to have joy in all circumstances.

When you understand he is writing from prison and you keep hearing him say, rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, it means something different.

So this week, when you open up the Bible, take time to observe it.

Read slowly, ask questions.

Who is this for?

What were they saying?

Why were they saying it?

All of a sudden you'll start mining out some of those beautiful things.

Whenever I teach a passage, this is a discipline I have, I actually make 50 observations of my passage.

Okay, now you don't have to do this on at 6 a.m.

when you're reading your Bible, but that's what I do.

And it's amazing the things that I see when I just slow down and read it again and again and again and again.

Does that make sense?

Take time to actually observe the text.

And when I do, you'll see something that you're reading.

Man, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Say all things.

And you might say, okay, what is meant by all things?

Like when he says all things, what does that mean?

So we're gonna go to the second step, which is we're gonna understand their home, which is about context.

Okay?

Now I'm about to lose 90% of the room.

Because when it comes to context, okay, you're like, what is context?

Okay.

There's a couple of contexts that the Bible is written.

One is historical.

You have to say, what is the political situation?

What is the geographical situation?

What is the economic situation?

The other context is this literal.

What genre is this?

Are we reading poetry or law?

How many of you know you read those two things differently?

Right?

If someone subpoenas me, which has never happened, thank God.

And they started the subpoena, dear Brad.

I'm not like, wow.

They think I'm dear.

But if Paige writes me a letter and says, Dear Brad, what is she saying?

She's saying I'm dear.

You have to understand the entire part of that passage.

If you go to a context circle, this is what it looks like.

Every text in the Bible has an immediate context, which has a segment, which has the rest of the book, which has the rest of the Bible.

You have to understand all of that to truly understand what that text is saying.

Or else we're just gonna pull things out of context.

Where two or three are gathered, in my name, there I am.

And we're like, guys, I know this prayer meeting is small, but the Bible says where two or three are gathered, you know, God is with us.

You know that verse is a verse about church discipline, which is helpful because if you studied by yourself, you're like, well, apparently I'm not two or three gathered, so God isn't with me in my Bible study.

That's a misunderstanding of the c of the text.

Okay?

You need to understand the context that you're reading.

And if you were to do that, here's what you would find is when you are zooming out, when you are going to the context of the text, here's what it says.

If you go a couple verses before, verse 11 says this.

I am not saying this because I am in need.

For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether I'm well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, I can do, say it with me.

All things through Christ who strengthens me.

What Paul is saying in this moment is he's saying, I'm in prison.

I'm in prison.

I'm hard pressed on every side.

But here's what I know I can endure this through Christ who strengthens me.

Isn't that more helpful?

Because there's some of you in this place today, and you're like, man, I'm actually struggling, Brad.

There's some things that I don't feel like I have the ability to push on.

I feel like I'm weak.

I feel like my marriage is falling apart.

What he is saying in this is that you can endure all things because Christ is giving you strength.

He's not saying that you can bench press a thousand pounds.

But all of a sudden, when you start understanding the text, what happens is it becomes infinitely more helpful.

He's not talking about achieving your dreams, unlimited success.

He's talking about enduring hardship.

That man, I know that it's hard right now.

I know that it's difficult right now.

But let me just tell you this you can endure all things.

So the second you start understanding that, all of a sudden you're like, okay, I get that.

So now you go to the third step.

You're like, I'm gonna get on the plane and I'm gonna bring that back home.

And here's what you're looking for whenever you're doing this step.

What is the timeless truth?

What is the principle that we can find?

Okay, and these timeless truths, they need to be biblical, they need to be compatible with the rest of scripture.

Scripture interprets scripture.

So if you find something and you're like, man, this contradicts the Bible, that's not the right interpretation.

You find something that is cross-cultural.

And when you do that, what you realize is that we use this verse for achievement, but Paul used it for endurance.

It's not God will help me do whatever I want, it's God can sustain me in whatever I face.

Isn't that so much better than just pulling it out of context and it makes no sense?

What he's saying is some of us are crushed, we're broken, we don't feel like we have what we need in order to endure.

But you can endure all things through Christ who strengthens you.

So once you have understanding, you can say, Okay, I'm gonna apply this.

Now, application is always gonna be different.

There's a couple questions that you can ask whenever you're applying it, which is just simply this.

In light of this, who should I be?

How should I think?

What should I do?

There's a great thing when you're reading the Bible, it's called spec.

It's a great way to actually apply.

You ask yourself, is there a sin to avoid?

Is there a promise to claim?

Is there an example to follow?

Is there a command to obey?

Or is there something to know about God?

Where should I go and who should I teach?

So you're observing the text, you're trying to understand what it means, you're bringing it back home, and then you say, Great, I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna apply it.

Does that make sense?

So here's my ask for you today.

This week, will you pick a plan?

Will you pick a time?

Will you pick a place?

And decide to mine the word of God for yourself, for everything that God wants to do in your life.

I think one of the easiest ways to do it is called soap.

Okay, and this is what it looks like.

I want you to take out a journal, write the scripture up top, and just spend some time observing.

Whatever it is you see in scripture, understand the context, understand their home, ask how does that relate?

Then go to the A application.

Who should I be?

What should I do?

How should I think?

End it with prayer.

If you do that in a journal, you will have one of the most prized positions that you've ever had in your life when you look back over the years and you just see all the ways that God has spoken to you.

That's what we want for you.

Class dismissed.

Was that helpful?

Now, I have to admit, that's probably the most practical sermon I've ever given.

And when I was studying for it, I really felt like God was like, no, no, no.

We actually need to teach people how to study the word.

It's what we need to do more than anything.

Most Christians have never been taught how to study the word.

And it's why we have all of these distortions, it's why we have cults, it's because people don't actually get what the Bible is saying.

And we at Spirit Church, we want to make sure that you have the resources that you need to study.

Okay.

Now, in the weeks to come, they're not gonna be as technical as this.

This was the most technical of the series.

Next week's gonna be fun.

We're gonna go through the Old Testament.

It's gonna be beautiful.

Okay, I'm gonna give you an overview of the Old Testament.

If you've never understood it, come back next week.

You're gonna understand it.

And you're gonna know how to approach it and how to approach Leviticus.

Can I get a good amen?

Yeah, we're gonna help you with that.

So, here's what I'm gonna do for all of you who are saying today is the day that I'm gonna do this.

I would just love to pray for you.

Everyone can just close their eyes.

God, I want to thank you for today.

God, thank you for every single person that is saying today is the day.

Lord, that they are going all in with you.

Today is the day, Lord, that they're making a commitment just to studying your word.

And Father, I pray that as they do that tomorrow, as they pick a time, as they pick a place, as they pick a plan, as they open up your scripture, Holy Spirit, I just pray that you'll meet them there.

That you'll give them what they need in order to study effectively, to learn more about you.

We love you, Lord.

We love you.

When you want to end a service without giving people an opportunity to meet Jesus, so if I can ask, if everyone can still close your eyes, bow your head.

There's some people here and you may feel far from God.

Let me tell you the story of God.

Every single one of us have sinned, every one of us have made mistakes that separates us from God.

But the beautiful thing is that God sent his son, Jesus, to come to this earth.

He lived the life that you and I couldn't live, he died in our place for our sin, and because of that, he was risen again from the grave, and because of that, the Bible says if you believe in him, he'll take your punishment and you can be saved.

If you're here and you've never made that decision to start following Jesus, we want to give you the opportunity to do that.

So we're gonna pray a prayer.

I'm gonna ask all of us to pray it for the benefit of those praying it for the first time.

Just repeat off to me.

Say, dear Jesus, I believe that you're the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

I believe you came to this earth, you died on a cross, and you were raised.

That I can have life.

And right now, I'll make you my Lord, I'll make you my savior.

In Jesus' name.

In Jesus' name, with every head bowed and eyes closed.

If you're here today and you just did that for the very first time, I would love to celebrate that with you.

On the counter three, I just want you to lift up your hand, say, Brad, that's me.

No one's looking around.

Here we go.

One, two, three.

If you just made that for the very first time, just lift up your hand.

That's awesome.

Thank you, sir.

That's awesome.

That's awesome.

That's awesome.

Hey Church, can you do me a favor?

Can you put your hands together?

Come on, for everyone, who just said that for the first time?

We love you so much.

And if you were watching and you just said yes to Jesus, congratulations.

This is the best decision you could ever make.

But you do have a next step.

We want you to text the word Jesus to the number 480-485-3405 so that you can let us know because our team has a 21-day devotional that we would love to send you.

It's called You Said Yes, so that we can walk with you in this journey.

Make sure you know you are not alone on this journey with Jesus.

And also, if this ministry has impacted you, I would love for you to pray about two things.

First, pray about sharing this message with someone.

You never know how much a simple share could impact someone's life.

And secondly, we would love for you to pray about partnering with us financially.

Your giving enables us to share messages just like this all around the world.

And so thank you for giving.

You can go to spiritchurch.co forward slash give if you want to participate in that today.

So we love you, church, and we will see you right back here next week.

And remember that with God, there is more.