How to Understand the Bible | Part 2

How can we understand the Bible? Until that person has acted upon the truth, God has already shown them. receiving it with a repentant heart and a receptive spirit.

If you have your Bible, meet us in James chapter 1 as Adrian Rogers concludes an insightful message how to understand the Bible. The Bible says we are to receive the Word of God. Now notice in verse 21, receive.

Do you see it? Receive with meekness, the Word of God. There are two words in the Greek language for receive.

One is the word lombano, and that means to grasp, to reach out and take, to get. He doesn't use that word here because you can't just reach out and snatch the Word of God. Many people have approached the Word of God that way, and they have failed. But there's another word for receive, and that's the word that is used in verse 21.

It is not lombano, it is lomai, which means to welcome. To receive as though you would receive somebody into your house as you receive a guest, and you say welcome. Now if you would understand the Bible, you must learn to welcome the Word.

You're never going to take your intellect, you're never going to take your mind and your determination and go into the Bible and draw truth out. But if you'll open your heart, open your mind, and welcome the Word. I've had the joy of preaching overseas in different countries, and one of the countries is in China. And when I went to China, the guide said now, when you go to the Chinese, to their home, they are the most gracious and hospitable of all people. The Chinese are wonderful people.

If you know the Chinese, you will love them. They are so wonderful and so gracious. And when you come into a Chinese home, they want to serve you something. They want to give you something. It is an honor for them to have you to come under their roof. They know how to welcome you. They will say, you are welcome in our home and they'll want to serve you something.

And you ought to receive it to show that you accept their hospitality. But our guide said, when they serve you something, if it's tea, for example, never reach out and take it with one hand. That implies you're grasping. Take it with both hands. Then you're receiving.

Then you're receiving. Now, we don't just reach out and take God's Word. We lift up our hands to Him and we welcome the Word. We receive the Word. We just take the Word by faith and by grace and let God's Word come into our heart. Now, having said that, I want to mention to you four ways to welcome the Word.

Four ways. And so, in order to help you to understand them, we're going to let all four of these ways begin with the letter R. How do you welcome the Word? Number one, welcome the Word with a repentant heart. Welcome the Word with a repentant heart.

Look again in verse 21. Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted Word which is able to save your soul. What does the word superfluity of naughtiness mean? It literally means that which remains or that which is left over. It means residual sin.

Now, what does that mean to you? Well, you may be saved and on your way to heaven but you've got some superfluity of naughtiness. You've got some hangover sins. You've got something that remains. Now, the word filthiness, do you know what the root of the word filthiness is?

You'd be surprised. Earwax. Earwax.

The word rupus means earwax. Now, what God says is if you want to hear, you've got to clean out your ears. The reason that God's truth does not come into us is that we've got hangover sin, that superfluity of naughtiness.

We've got spiritual wax in our ears. And therefore, it is absolutely important that when you study the Bible, the very first thing you do is make a full confession of sin and ask God to search your heart and see if there'd be some wickedness in you. Get your heart clean. Get your heart right with God. Not only should you welcome the word with a repentant heart, verse 21, but welcome the word with a receptive heart, verse 21.

Look at that also. Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with, do you see this next word? Receive with, look at it, receive with meekness. Meekness.

The engrafted word which is able to save your soul. Welcome the word with meekness. What is meekness? Meekness is a teachable spirit. To be meek means to be teachable.

Do you have a teachable spirit? I will give you a promise from the word of God and I want you to listen to it. It is John chapter 7 and verse 17. Jesus said, if any man will do God's will, he shall know the doctrine. If any man will do God's will, he will know the doctrine. You see, it is the will that comes. The will must be surrendered. It is not primarily the mind. It is the heart. The will I want to know.

God says, if you will to do my will, you will know the doctrine. I shared with you before the story of a man who came to see me. I'd never met him down when I used to pastor on the space coast down at Cape Kennedy.

This man was a big shot in the space industry, an intelligent man, learned man in many ways. He came into my office. He said, Mr. Rogers, I need your help. I said, well, how may I help you? He said, it's about my wife.

She wants to commit suicide and I don't want her to. Well, I thought that was nice. He didn't want her to. And he said, I wish you would talk with her. I said, I will, sir, if you will come with her. So they came into my office. I said, madam, would you tell me what the problem is?

She began to pour out her heart. But her problem could be summed up in one little three letter word, H-I-M, that man. Him. He was a liar. He was an adulterer.

He was a gambler. He was a profane man. He abused her physically. He abused her verbally. He abused her in almost every way.

He was an arrogant man. I turned to him and I said, sir, I want to ask you a question. Are you a Christian?

Now, remember, I was not asking for information. I'm just trying to get the conversation started. Are you a Christian? He laughed. He said, no, I'm not a Christian. I'm an atheist. I said, oh. He said, yes, I'm an atheist. I said, well, an atheist is a man who knows there's no God.

Do you know there's no God? He said, yes. I said, well, that's very interesting. I said, of everything there is to know, how much would you know? Do you know all there is to know?

He said, of course not. He said, nobody knows everything. I said, well, would it be generous to say you know half of all there is to know?

Well, he said, yes, of course. I said, I thought you said you knew there was no God. Wouldn't you have to admit the possibility that God might exist in that half of the knowledge you don't have? Well, he said, I don't think there's a God.

I said, well, that's different. I said, then you're not an atheist. You're an agnostic. He said, yeah, that's what I am, an agnostic.

I don't think there's a God. I said, well, the word agnostic, that just means a doubter. I didn't tell him the Latin equivalent is ignoramus, which, same word, really, same word.

Both mean just simply I don't know. I didn't call him an ignoramus. I said, you're an agnostic. He said, that's right. I said, well, that means you're a doubter. He said, yeah, and I'm a big one. I said, well, I don't care what size.

I want to know what kind. He said, well, what kinds are there? I said, only two. Honest doubters and dishonest. I said, which one are you?

He said, well, what's the difference? I said, well, an honest doubter doesn't know, but he wants to know, and therefore he makes an honest investigation. I said, a dishonest doubter doesn't know because he doesn't want to know.

He can't find God for the same reason a thief can't find a policeman. I said, you claim to be a scientist. I said, how would you like to prove whether or not God exists? He said, it can't be done.

I said, it can be done if you get in the right laboratory. And I gave him the verse that I just gave you, John chapter 7, verse 17. Jesus said, my doctrine is not mine, but his who sent me, and if any man wills to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself.

I said, would you, sir, be willing to sign a statement like this? God, I don't know whether you exist or not. I don't know whether the Bible is your word or not.

I don't know whether Jesus Christ is your son or not. But I want to know. And because I want to know, I'll make an honest investigation. And because it is an honest investigation, I will follow the result of that investigation wherever it leads me, regardless of the cost. I said, an honest man would sign that statement.

He said, give it to me again. God, I don't know whether you exist or not. I don't know whether the Bible is your word or not.

I don't know whether Jesus Christ is your son or not. But I want to know. And because I want to know, I'll make an honest investigation. And because it is an honest investigation, I will follow the results of that investigation wherever it leads me, regardless of the cost. He said, all right, I want to be honest.

I'll do that. I said, wonderful. I said, God's going to show himself to you. He said, where do I start? I said, start with the Gospel of John. That's written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ and believing you might have faith in his name.

He said, what should I do? I said, just begin to read about a chapter a day and pray like this. God, I don't even know whether you're there or not. I don't know whether this is your word or not. But if it is, speak to me.

And my mind is made up ahead of time. I will follow you if you'll only speak to me. I will to do what I will if you're there. In several weeks, that man came back into my office, got on his knees, wept like a baby and gave his heart to Jesus Christ, was wonderfully saved. The last time I saw them, I saw them sitting in their big white Cadillac holding hands like school kids.

She didn't want to commit suicide anymore. He's moved up to Maine. I'd almost forgotten about him, but he wrote me a letter.

I have it on my file. He told me how he's in a Sunday school ministry there, how he's in a tape ministry there, how he's working in a Christian school up there. And then he said to me, and Mr. Rogers, I want to thank you for spending time with this general in the devil's army. Now where was that man's problem? That man's problem before he got saved was not in his head, it was in his heart. He did not have a receptive spirit. He did not have a meek spirit. And the minute that man opened his heart and said, I want to learn.

I want to know. I surrender my will. God began to speak to him. That is John 7.17. If any man wills to do his will, he shall know the doctrine, whether it be of God. You receive the word with a repentant spirit. You receive the word, you welcome the word with a receptive spirit.

Have you got it? Now here's the third way to understand the word of God. The third R is you welcome the word with a responsive spirit, with a responsive spirit. Look in verse 22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own hearts. You see, once you get your heart clean, once you surrender your will, then if you would understand the word of God, begin to obey what God tells you. If you do not respond to what you hear, the Bible says you are self-deceived. Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. The best way to understand the part of the Bible you don't understand is to obey the part you do understand. To him that hath shall be given. To him that has not, even that which he has will be taken away. I want to ask you a question. Why should God show anybody any more truth until that person has acted upon the truth God has already shown them?

Hmm? Is there part of the word that God has been speaking to you about? Maybe in your witnessing life, your giving life, your prayer life.

Maybe in making restitution. Maybe in faithfulness to the church. Maybe about baptism. Maybe about confessing Christ openly and publicly, and you know that you ought to do it.

Now please listen to me. A study of the Bible gives you knowledge about God. Obedience gives you knowledge of God. Jesus said in John chapter 14, John 14 verse 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father. And I will love him, now listen, and will manifest myself to him. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. You can sing, oh how I love Jesus all day long, and if you don't keep the commandments, you don't love him. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father. You want God to love you, then you love Jesus. And I will love him, and Jesus and I will manifest myself to him. Study of the Bible gives you knowledge about God, but obedience gives you knowledge of God, makes God real to you.

Now here's the fourth R, and we'll be finished. Four ways to better understand the Bible, to welcome the Word. You welcome the Word with a repentant spirit. You lay aside that filthiness.

Get the wax out of your ear. And then you welcome the Word with a receptive spirit. You receive it with meekness. And then with a responsive spirit, you obey what you learn.

Then you're ready for this next thing. You welcome the Word with a reflective spirit. Look if you will now in verses 23 and following. For if any man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.

That means the face you were born with, the word glass here means mirror. He's like a man that looks at his mug in a mirror. For he beholdeth himself, verse 24, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Now, the Bible's called a hammer. It's called a lamp. It's called a bread. It's called a sword.

It's called a seed. But here James calls the Bible a mirror. The Bible is a mirror. It reflects. And so when you go to the Bible and you look at the Bible, the Bible looks back at you. You see yourself in the word of God. You know, where there's beauty, we take it.

Where there's none, we make it, right? But the mirrors don't lie. That's the reason we don't like the mirror. I heard a long time ago about an old man that never seen a mirror in his life. An old farmer, and he found one out in the field and looked at it, and he said, Well, would you be? There's a picture of my old daddy.

Look at that. He was so proud of it, he put it up in the attic of his house. His wife saw him up there in the attic.

He stayed up there a long time. She, being curious, after he came down, decided she'd go up and see what he'd placed in the attic. She rummaged around and found the mirror.

She'd never seen one either. She looked at it and said, Ah, that's the old hag he's been running around with. A mirror shows us ourselves. Now, James imagines two people. He imagines one person who comes and looks in the mirror, and he just glances at the mirror. Look, if you will, in verse 24. He beholdeth himself and goes his way.

He straightway forgets what manner of man he is. What he is saying is this, that some people, listen to me now, some people are too casual in their study of the Word of God. They just glance in the mirror and they go their way. You know, they say, Well, it's time for my quiet time.

They're drinking coffee. Let me see here. They read a word.

Off they go. But now, notice in verse 25, But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man should be blessed in his deed. And the word here that is used for look means a careful gaze. It means to look penetratingly into the Word of God. Friends, when you read it, bring your mind to it. Bring your heart to it.

Bring everything to it. And if you will receive the Word today, if you will receive it with a receptive spirit, or if you will receive it, my friend, with a repentant spirit, responsive spirit, reflective spirit, it will burst a flame in your hands and in your life, and it will change your life. Have you experienced this transformation? God's Word can only change you after you have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. And if you have questions regarding your faith, how to place your full trust and hope in Him, we want to offer you an insightful resource. It's our website and the Discover Jesus page.

You'll find answers you may need about your faith and there's a response section as well. Go to lwf.org slash radio and click on the Discover Jesus tab. Again, lwf.org slash radio and click Discover Jesus. Now if you'd like to order a copy of today's message, call us at 1-877-Love-God to order How to Understand the Bible. This message is also part of the insightful Back to the Basics series for the complete collection, all 18 powerful messages. Call that number 1-877-Love-God or you can order online at lwf.org slash radio.

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You can utilize that tool at lwf.org slash radio. Are you actively receiving the Word of God with a repentant heart and a receptive, responsive spirit? Remember, as Adrian Rogers said, the best way to understand the part of the Bible you don't understand is to obey the part you do understand. We hope you'll join us again next time for more real truth that never changes, right here on Love Worth Finding. We were so encouraged to receive this message from a listener not long ago. They wrote and said, I have been so blessed by these messages.

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