Morning Moments

Today the expository preacher is the one in demand. One who can take a passage, break it down, chew it up then spit it out for others to rave about. Most Christians love it when you can squeeze dainty morsels from a text that they have not seen nor thought of before. One of the dangers of this microscopic approach to preaching is that often the “part” is seen at the expense of the “whole”.

Some Bible students get off track by failing to understand that the Old Testament is just as inspired by God as the New Testament; that the writers of the epistles are just as important as the writers of the gospels and vice versa; that as the human author of at least thirteen books of the New Testament said, “ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God”. When he penned those words, all that was complete of the Bible was the Old Testament.

With this in mind, we must never confuse Biblical interpretation with practical or spiritual application. I have used the example of Paul before and will do so again now – In his first letter to Timothy (1 Tim 5:18), as well as his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 9:9) to make a practical application. Both are quotes from the book of Deuteronomy (Dt 25:4).

In both Paul’s letters the reference is in regards to money for the Lord’s servant and NOT corn or oxen. Look at the context:

Deuteronomy 25:
1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.
2 And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.
4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

Obviously, the context of all indicate receiving what one deserves, so there is a spiritual principle that can be justly used for practical application. Honest work demands honest pay. Anyone with a job understands that and hopefully any employer as well. That is why we call it a Biblical principle because it transcends the initial text for purpose of application. In Paul’s use of this principle, he did NO harm whatsoever to the Old Testament text.

Here is my point: If you are going to use a text as a proof text, it must be consistent in principle with the entire Word of God. Now let me illustrate. It became the custom among nations in the days of the patriarchs to have more than one wife and even some concubines, but GOD NEVER neither commanded nor condoned the practice. It was God’s command that there should be one man with one woman for life.
WE can see the utter ruin of families as a result, but we are “looking back”.

Socially accepted NOR Church accepted practices all fall into one of three categories:
1. Beliefs or Practices based upon Biblical principles as with Paul.
2. Beliefs or Practices based upon mere tradition with which there is no Biblical prohibition.
3. Beliefs or Practices based upon a bias against Bible teaching.

As honest Bible students, we must learn to make the distinction. Churches are being split today not because of clearly defined Biblical issues, but upon personal interpretation, ideology, preference, and polity – NOT clearly defined Biblical principles.

I don’t give a rip if a Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Charismatic or any other preacher wants to wear a robe, or a casual shirt or a tuxedo to preach because the Biblical principle for all is modest apparel – I cannot in good conscience and faith go beyond that.

I don’t give a hoot if a preacher speaks for 20 minutes or 2 hours as long as he is teaching and preaching the Word of God because the Bible does not address the length of a sermon.

You can go to seed on anything, whether it is those silly looking English chairs many of us pastor’s sit in for maybe 20 minutes a week, or whether you wear a dark suit or a golf shirt. These are ludicrous matters to squabble about.

Now here is the clincher: We have no problem today with immorality in the church, but let a preacher that has given his life to the study of the Word of God say something that contradicts something some Sunday School teacher has contrived in his own mind by personal misinterpretation or by some quarterly someone at headquarters wrote, and all hell breaks out in the church. I mean that literally because it is the devil and his demons that do it.

So STUDY! It is hard. It is tedious. It takes time. It requires diligence. BUT first learn to swim before plunging into the deep water. Don’t study the book of Revelation without some knowledge of the Old Testament, Daniel especially. Get a telescopic view of the Bible before you get out your telescope.

BLESSINGS!