THE USE OF THE SCRIPTURES.
Matthew’s Gospel tells us about Jesus’ use of the Scriptures.
Matthews 21:13 “It is written, he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers. “Jesus constantly used the Scripture as a guide in His own life and also for the lives of His disciples, to avoid sinning because Jesus believed that the Scriptures are the word of God. He always confirmed the truth that what the Bible says, God says and what God means to say. Forgiveness for sin has been promised to those who confess their sin but true confession is detailed, or specific; we must tell God exactly what we have done wrong, as well as the things we failed to do.
Galatians 6:1–3, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
James 1:22–25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man, who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.”
Ephesians 6:1– 4, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
People go through stages in life when they imagine that they know everything.
1st Corinthians 8:2, “The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.”
Always, we must ask ourselves “Am I really listening for what Scripture means to say? Or am I letting my own ideas and desires get in the way? Consider this story. A man has taught the young Bible class for years, it happened the Church leaders ask another member to teach the class, the man was furious. He takes the change as a public insult. What should he do? He prays, opens his Bible and finds the passages that call on Christians to repent and confess their sins to one another.
James 5: 16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
He concludes that the leaders must confess their sins against him. They must repent by giving back him the class and his reputation. The leaders fail to comply with the man’s demands.
After further prayer, he uses severe passages to get others to oppose the leaders, eventually causing the congregation to split. Is the man using the Scripture like Jesus? No. He is listening to his own anger. He claims the Holy Spirit moves him, but his own feelings of bitterness actually move him. Ephesians 3:17, “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.”
2nd Timothy 3:16 – 17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Matthew’s Gospel tells us about Jesus’ use of the Scriptures.
Matthews 21:13 “It is written, he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers. “Jesus constantly used the Scripture as a guide in His own life and also for the lives of His disciples, to avoid sinning because Jesus believed that the Scriptures are the word of God. He always confirmed the truth that what the Bible says, God says and what God means to say. Forgiveness for sin has been promised to those who confess their sin but true confession is detailed, or specific; we must tell God exactly what we have done wrong, as well as the things we failed to do.
Galatians 6:1–3, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
James 1:22–25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man, who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.”
Ephesians 6:1– 4, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
People go through stages in life when they imagine that they know everything.
1st Corinthians 8:2, “The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.”
Always, we must ask ourselves “Am I really listening for what Scripture means to say? Or am I letting my own ideas and desires get in the way? Consider this story. A man has taught the young Bible class for years, it happened the Church leaders ask another member to teach the class, the man was furious. He takes the change as a public insult. What should he do? He prays, opens his Bible and finds the passages that call on Christians to repent and confess their sins to one another.
James 5: 16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
He concludes that the leaders must confess their sins against him. They must repent by giving back him the class and his reputation. The leaders fail to comply with the man’s demands.
After further prayer, he uses severe passages to get others to oppose the leaders, eventually causing the congregation to split. Is the man using the Scripture like Jesus? No. He is listening to his own anger. He claims the Holy Spirit moves him, but his own feelings of bitterness actually move him. Ephesians 3:17, “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.”
2nd Timothy 3:16 – 17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”