Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: God never intended the Bible to be just part of your life. He wants His word and your love for Jesus to be the center of your life. Welcome to Thru the Bible. I'm Steve Schwetz, holding open the doors of the Bible Bus as you hop aboard for another great adventure in God's word.

Our teacher, of course, is Dr. J. Vernon McGee, and he's giving us seven principles or guidelines for understanding the Bible. And in this study, we're going to learn how to make the Bible the foundation of our lives—a foundation that will stand up to all the challenges that we face. Dr. McGee begins by saying everyone must read the Bible themselves. Let's listen as he reads a letter that he received from a little girl in Houston, Texas.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Sometimes the question is asked us relative to going through the Bible, do young people read through the Bible? Do they study it with you? And certainly not children. Well, let me share with you today a letter that comes from a little girl down in Houston, Texas.

She says, "I love your program. I'm 10 years old and a born-again Christian. I have a calendar with your picture on it. You look and sound nice. I bet you're very, very nice. You preach very good. I learned also from you. I really love God and thank him for everything. And I'm not ashamed to tell people I'm a Christian whether they laugh or not. This Christian girl in my class, she listens to Christian radio. I told her about your station and she told me about hers." And they found out they were both listening to the same program. Do children listen? Yes.

Steve Schwetz: Well, we still receive letters from children and young people sharing how our studies have helped them understand how to walk with God. Don't you love hearing from them? Children's minds and hearts really do soak up truth from a regular study of God's word too. Maybe sometimes better than we do. Let's pray as we begin our study.

Father, would you make your word clear and plain to all of us, young and old? Bless those who have a sincere desire to know you with a deeper understanding of what pleases you and willing hearts to obey. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Here's Thru the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Last time we got underway in looking at guidelines for the understanding of the Scriptures, and we mentioned that there were seven basic preliminary statements that need to be made. And we were dealing with the first when we left off last time, and that was we’re to begin with prayer. The reason for that is that it’s not just a form or a ceremony to go through, that that’s just not a part of a ritual of having prayer, but that actually we’re dealing with a supernatural book that wants to communicate to us. But it will not communicate to us for the very simple reason that only the Spirit of God can take the things of Christ and reveal them unto us.

Now I want to begin today with a very interesting verse of scripture. I have read now from 1 Corinthians 2 on two separate occasions when we were looking at the book and now since we have been considering this matter of always begin with prayer, but I bypassed one verse. I read before this verse, I read after this verse, but did not read it. I’d like to read it today, and that’s verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 2: "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God."

Now that puts in a very succinct and certainly in an understandable manner of why the Spirit of God must be our teacher, because you and I understand each other. But we do not understand God. That is normally or naturally. Only the Spirit of God can reveal the things of God to us. Now I mean that you and I understand each other. I believe that today that it’s perfect nonsense to talk about that we’ve got a generation today that we can’t communicate with. We have the generation gap today. I recognize that’s always been true, that it’s difficult for an older person and a younger person to see eye to eye, but that’s no reason why they can’t communicate one with the other.

We can communicate one with another because we’re all human beings. We understand each other. But I frankly don’t understand God unless it’s revealed to me. I don’t know how God feels. I’ve often wondered, at least I used to wonder, "Well, I wonder how he’d feel at a funeral." Well, go with the Lord Jesus. He went to several funerals. He always broke up a funeral, by the way. But I find him there at the funeral of Lazarus, saying, "Jesus wept." I know how he feels today. I know how he feels about many things because the Spirit of God and the word of God has revealed this to us today.

No man knoweth the things of a man, for what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? When I was pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, I got up one bright morning and looked out my window, and during the night about five inches of snow had fallen and had covered up all of the ugliness that was around—the trees that had lost their leaves, the grass that was dead—and it’s all covered with a beautiful white blanket. I sat upstairs in my study looking out over the scene and right across the street from me, that is the same side that I was on but directly across where the back end of his house was the same way mine was. I hope I’ve made that clear.

And I noticed this elder of mine who lived there, he came out on his porch and he had two coal scuttles filled with ashes. He was going out to the alleyway to empty them there in a place that was put there for that purpose. And I saw him stop and look over the landscape and I just smiled because I knew how he felt. You know how he felt? Just like I felt, looking out on that snow that had fallen during the night. And when he started down the steps, though, he slipped and fell, and he didn’t want to spill ashes, so he just held them out. And I want to tell you, he hit one of those steps with a real bump.

And I watched him, and I couldn't help but laugh. I guess if he had broken his neck, I would have laughed. But I noticed that he looked around, and he was satisfied nobody had seen him. So he got up with great satisfaction, and he started out again. You know, he got about halfway out on the sidewalk and we had a repeat performance. Only this time, he fell much farther because it was all the way to the sidewalk, and it looked to me like he bounced when he hit. And this time, he really scanned the landscape. He didn't want anybody to see what he had done, you see. And I knew how he felt. I'd feel the same way—be embarrassed.

And so I laughed. I couldn't help but laugh. He got up, and he looked over the landscape. He went out and emptied his ashes, and he started back. And he got back the porch, and he looked over the landscape again. I don't think this time to see the snow, but to make good and sure that no one had seen him fall, at least twice. And so I didn't say a word until Sunday morning. And when he was sitting in church, when I came in, I went right by where he sat and I leaned down and I said, "You sure did look funny yesterday carrying out the ashes." And he looked at me in amazement. He said, "Did you see me?" And I said, "Yes." And he said, "Well, I didn't think anybody saw me." And I said, "I thought that."

I said, "I knew exactly how you felt." You see, he had a human spirit. I have a human spirit. We understand each other. And you and I understand each other, you see. And I don't think there's too much of a generation gap anywhere because I think human beings understand each other. But who can understand God? Well, the point is, Paul says, "the Spirit of God." And that's the reason that the Holy Spirit teacheth us, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Now Renan, the French skeptic, he made an attack on the word of God. I'm sure many of you have heard that or know that. Did you know that he wrote a Life of Christ? And his book is divided into two sections. One is the historical section; the other is the interpretation of Christ. And as far as the first part is concerned, there probably has never been written a more brilliant Life of Christ by any person. But his interpretation of Christ is positively absurd. I'm of the opinion that a 12-year-old Sunday school boy could do better.

Now what's the explanation of that? Well, the Spirit of God doesn't need to teach you history, doesn't need to teach you facts that you can dig out for yourself. A very clever mind can dig all these out, and that's exactly what he had done. He'd made a real study. But the interpretation is altogether different. The Spirit of God has to do the interpreting, and He alone must be the teacher to lead and guide us into all truth. We must have the Spirit of God to open our eyes to see.

The story is told of Holman Hunt, the great artist, who by the way was a Christian. And he had one time a one-man art show. And he had there a painting of a sunset, and it was a brilliant thing, a beautiful thing. A lady came by, she was rather a country bumpkin, and she looked it over. And it was a startling thing to her, too. But she made this comment. She said, "Who ever saw a sunset like that?" And Holman Hunt, who was there, just happened to overhear what she said. And he replied, he said, "Madam, don't you wish you could see one like that?"

You know, there are many folks today who look at the word of God, they read the Bible, they don't really see anything. They marvel and wonder how anyone could be interested in it. You find today many people—I had a member of my own church make this statement: "My, I wouldn't waste my time coming to Bible study on Thursday night. I'd have to drive 15 miles." Well, that party will drive more than 15 miles to see the Dodgers play or the Lakers play in a game, and they go much farther than that for some little silly party that they put on. But no, not for Bible study.

May I say to you, only the Spirit of God can reveal the wonders of the book to you? And that by the way makes you wonder about some of our church folk. I take the position today that the Bible is the real test of a believer, and his attitude in relationship to the book is very important and should be taken into consideration. Now again, let me read a passage of scripture that’s very important, only I’m going to read all of it this time. In this connection, it’s John 16:12-16.

The Lord himself made this statement: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father."

You see, the Lord Jesus is saying that we’re to ask. He has many things for us, and he wants to reveal these things to us by the Holy Spirit. And he said in John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." Now the Holy Spirit is the teacher, and he must be the one to lead us and to guide us into all truth. If you ever learn anything, my beloved, through this Bible study program that we’re beginning now in just a few days to initiate, it will not be because this poor preacher’s the teacher. It’ll be because the Spirit of God is opening up the word of God to you. And you know what? We’re going to depend on Him to do just that.

This is the first guideline: begin with prayer, ask the Spirit of God to be your teacher. Now the second guideline may seem just a little oversimplified, and that is: read the Bible, read the Bible. Someone asked a great Shakespearean scholar years ago, said, "How do you study Shakespeare?" And his answer was very brief and terse: "Read Shakespeare." And I’d say to you, read the word of God. You want to know what the Bible has to say, read the Bible.

And may I inject this also? We have already suggested to you to listen to the broadcast, get the notes, and to read the passage under consideration. Let me come back now and say, regardless of whether you get the notes or regardless of whether you hear the broadcast, it’s all-important to read what the Bible has to say. And it’s very important.

It was said of Dr. G. Campbell Morgan—and he, I think, has written some very wonderful and helpful books on the Bible. He has a series of books called *Living Messages of the Books of the Bible*. It's on each one of the 66 books of the Bible. When I started out as a student, I know of nothing that had more influence on my study of the word than these books. Now it was said of him that he would not put a pen to paper and writing these books until he'd read a particular book of the Bible through 50 times. Think of that, my friend.

So don't be weary in well doing. Just read the word of God. If you don't get it the first time, read it the second time. If you don't get it the second time, read it the third time. And if you don't get it the third time, just keep on reading it. And let me say this: you’ll not be wasting your time. You and I are to get the facts of the word of God. And what you and I can dig out for ourselves, I don’t think the Spirit of God’s going to reveal to us. I just don’t believe that. I think that the Bible is a divine book, but remember I also said it’s a human book. And if you are going to learn certain things about the book, you will just have to, if you please, you’re just going to have to study those things. You’re going to have to read. You’re going to have to read the Bible, and read it sometimes again and again.

Here’s a very interesting statement that I’ve lifted out of Nehemiah. It’s back in Nehemiah 8, the first three verses. And it’s that great Bible reading that took place when they put up a pulpit before the water gate and Ezra read there. Let me read this to you: "And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law."

And the very interesting thing in this connection is that he put out among the people certain men. They were of the tribe of Levi, and these men went among the people and they explained the Bible. I assume from the way that the account is given that what actually took place was that these men were stationed in certain areas, and then Ezra would read a certain portion. And then he would stop, and the people that had listened, they would be given an opportunity to ask questions, that is, of these that were stationed out there to explain the Bible to them, you see.

And we’re told—I’m reading now verse seven of chapter eight of Nehemiah—these "caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place." Now verse eight’s a very important verse: "So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." May I say to you, I used to teach a group of young theologs, young men studying for the ministry, homiletics—that is, how to preach. And one of the things I told them: learn to read the Bible distinctly, and that this was the greatest lesson that there is. Read in the book of the law distinctly. We’re to read in the book of God distinctly and to give the sense. Now that is very simple, you see, but it’s very important that God’s people understand the word of God.

Therefore, we should read the Bible. And there’s so many distractions today from the study of the word of God. I suppose the greatest distractor that we have is the church. The church today is made up of committees and organizations and banquets and entertainments and promotional schemes to the extent that the word of God’s not even dealt with in many churches today. And many churches have disbanded the preaching service altogether.

And I notice that even our cosmopolitan papers here in Los Angeles have played this up: that certain churches no longer going to have a preaching service. They’re going to have a time in which the people will be able to just express themselves and say what they are thinking. And I can’t think of anything that’ll be more puerile, more nonsensical, more waste of time than that. And may I say, it’s a fine excuse for a lazy preacher who will not read or study the Bible to get out of preaching.

And after all, I’ve always felt that liberalism was wasting their time preaching anyway. They didn't have anything to preach, if you please. And I say that, I trust, kindly today, but somebody needs to say these things. That God says, that is, by the foolishness of preaching, He's going to save men. And that means preaching and teaching the word of God. And that was the thing you remember Paul gave as his swan song to a young preacher: "Preach the word." It’s the word of God, my friend, that needs to be given out.

And I quote Psalm 36:9. This is a marvelous psalm. This is a marvelous verse: "For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light," you see. And it's by reading the word of God, which is light. And then if we don't understand it, the Spirit of God's our teacher to lead us into all truth. So that we have now these two things that are all important: begin with prayer, second, read the Bible.

Third, study the Bible. And again, let me quote Dr. Morgan, for years ago someone said to him, "You speak as though you are inspired." And Dr. Morgan said, "Inspiration is 95% perspiration." Now may I say to you that the Bible needs to be studied. I had many years ago several hundred students in classes in Bible, and these students were made up of all kinds of young folks. And among them were a few very pious individuals.

And I understood these young people very well after a period of time, I must confess I didn't understand them at first. They acted very pious, but that covered up a tremendous ignorance and vacuum relative to the word of God. And some of them would not study the night before an exam. They always would give an excuse that they were busy in a prayer meeting somewhere or a service. And I would always be rather hard-boiled with them and say the Lord sent you here to study the Bible and that's primary. Someone's paying your tuition.

So the thing for you to do is when an exam is coming up on the morrow, that you'll know it's not the Lord's will for you to spend the night in prayer. Do it the night afterward, but not the night before, because He wants you to study the Bible. And I had a feeling that we had some that felt like they could sort of put the Bible underneath their pillow, and that during the night as they slept, that there would come up through the duck feathers the names of the kings of Israel and Judah. But I used to tell them it won't come up through the duck feathers, and it won't come up by you ducking it either. You're going to have to knuckle down and study the word of God.

One fellow I never shall forget in a Bible class when I was in college. He said, "Doctor, you've given us a section that's very dry." And the professor, without even missing a step, he said to him, "Then dampen it a little with sweat from your brow." May I say to you that the Bible should be studied. And it's very important that we see that and that we remember that there is certain knowledge that the Spirit of God's not going to give to you. I do not think that he's revealing truth to lazy people. If you read the Bible and don't understand and then study the Bible, and that it must be studied, after all, you must put it in a category with any other book. You'd never learn logarithms or geometry, you can't learn Greek by just reading a chapter in it right before you go to sleep at night.

By the way, next time I want to talk to you about devotions. I think I’m going to shock some of you, but I hope I can shock you into studying the word of God. And may the Lord bless you today, my beloved.

Steve Schwetz: If you've been shocked a bit by this study, consider it a little nudge to get started with a serious study of God's word. We got plenty of Bible study materials in our app or at ttb.org, or give us a call at 1-800-65-BIBLE if we can help you find something specific. You can also write to us at Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1.

And when you're in touch, why don't you tell us how you listen to Thru the Bible? Is it by app, online, or your favorite radio station? Well, however you hop aboard the Bible Bus, we want to know. As we've said before, this little bit of information is a huge help as we follow God's lead in taking His whole word to His whole world. Well, I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'll be here next time saving a seat on the Bible Bus just for you.

Ride the Bible Bus for five years and you’ll be amazed at what God teaches you from His word about what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It’s a blessing that keeps on going. That’s what we believe at Thru the Bible.