Shawn Bain - Should Culture Affect My Understanding of the Bible?
6:48PM Jul 18, 2024
Speakers:
Shawn Bain
Keywords:
jesus
scripture
verse
culture
people
answer
spoken
midst
chapter
thou
statement
question
didst
peace
day
change
holy spirit
understand
book
god
Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to see if you would turn with me to Second Timothy the third chapter. Second Timothy chapter three.
Should the culture affect my understanding of Scripture? It's either yes or no, and I don't know if I, you know, I can do it probably in 15 seconds and tell you the answer yes or no, and you'd be on your way. But I know that's not sufficient, probably. So, therefore I'm going to let you look at with me something that is found in a text though which Paul speaks to Timothy about that is very significant. In verse one, "But know this, that in the last days, grievous times shall come." Thank you very much for you coming tonight. Grievous time shall come, when? In the last days. As a result of that, what's it going to be? What's it going to look like? What's going to be the scenario? "Men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, slanderers without self control and fears, no lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God, holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. From these also turn away, for of these are they that creep into houses and take captive silly women laden with sin, led away by diverse lust, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." Once you have the scenario put in front of you of what the latter days will be, how would you handle that? What would your approach be? What would be the first step you would take? What is your defense? Do you have one? Do you apologize for what you believe? Are you ashamed? Do you have a greater conviction? Do you yield to the persecution?
This man, Paul, delivers this message to Timothy so many different things that you learn about what he says and what he speaks to him, but I want you to think about something with me as he addresses what I would believe has an answer to the things of which the latter days would propose. And that's chapter four. "I charge thee in the sight of God and of Christ, Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing in his kingdom, preach the Word. Be urgent in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they do not endure the sound doctrine, but having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after own lust and will turn away, away their ears from the truth and turn aside into fables. But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of evangelists, fulfill thy ministry." And I don't know if Timothy hears this and says, Thank you very much for that answer. Thank you very much for that information. I appreciate now knowing what I would do in the last days. What are my steps? What is my direction? What are my instructions?
As we think about the things that are found in Second Timothy chapter three, verses one to verse seven, they may sound very similar to what you've heard, maybe witnessed, maybe even personally experienced. They are very characteristic of who you are. Well, let me just give you a list of just some very brief topics. Evolution, the role of male and female, marriage divorce and remarriage, female leadership in the church. Why would God allow suffering? Situation ethics. And the situation ethics is one of those topics of which is really helping all mankind, men and women, young and old, to just vary their beliefs, not be really consistent in what it is, and committed and convicted in it. Just go with the flow. Just let whatever the circumstances are based upon what it is you're going through. Let that determine what is right, what is wrong. Therefore wrongness and rightness is very much based upon the situation, whatever you're experiencing. And if the situation dictates this is what you do, go with it. If it decides, if you decide based upon the circumstance you need to change. Then change. Just allow yourself to be flexible. Allow yourself to go with the flow. Most Interesting thing about situation ethics is that when there is this rightness or wrongness of which I present or which I state, which I believe, which I practice, therefore there is no reason for you to in any way contradict. You should not be intolerant, but you should be very much tolerant of my rightness and my wrongness. The sin of which you would commit is to make a judgment of my rightness and wrongness. So therefore, if you think I'm wrong, I might just cancel you. I would just oppose you. I would just dismiss myself from your fellow, from my fellowship with you, or my association with you. So, therefore the sin is yours, not mine, because I feel very open about what it is I believe. I feel very good about what it is that I do. I feel very right. Therefore, the situation ethics is one of those matters of the culture or society which we live.
But let me just let you think about this one. Let me let you think about this statement sometimes is made: let the Bible explain itself. Let the Bible explain itself. We might think that's very innocent, but it's got some problems with it. If there is an individual that leads a class or discussion, if he is sitting down, or she is standing up, whatever the case may be, and they start reading scripture, and they read this particular passage of scripture, and then they begin the discussion with everybody that's in the classroom. Now this is a very well intended teacher, maybe not well studied, but they got all good intention, and they asked the question, what does that passage mean to you? What does that Scripture say to you? Somebody raises their hand and say, well, that scripture tells me, or that Scripture teaches me, or this is what I believe this says. And then after that person's done, the next person raise their hand. They say, Well, this passage means this to me. This is what this scripture means. And then there's another hand that goes up, and then there's another hand that goes up. And they, almost without hesitation, say, Well, this is what it means to me. Almost everybody makes the same statement, and they proceed into telling you what it says or what it means to them. I believe sometimes the answer to the question of, what does this passage mean, could be best answered in Ephesians, chapter five, verse 17. Where Paul is introduced in verse 14 that we don't need to be people who will remain asleep, but we need to arise from the dead. But then he says in verse 17, "do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is". Sometimes the answers from the well intended teacher, from the well intended student, who answered the question, sometimes answers foolishly, without really understanding what the will the Lord is. Therefore, for you and I, we are going to have to ask ourself the question, what is your worldview? What would be the worldview found in the first century? What would be the worldview that you have today, in this century, in this year. A lot of the worldview has a lot to do with Me Culture more than God's view. If it is me, then if I am going to search through the Scripture in any fashion, if I use it as a basis for anything, if I look to the Scripture, if it's a "me" thing, if it's "me" worldview, then there's going to be a particular passage that I want to look at that I'm very familiar with, that I quote quite often and sometimes without hesitation, in order to maybe justify a position that I've got or a thought that's going through My mind, or maybe to prove a point. And that's about the extent of the depth of search that I have in Scripture. It's just something I'm familiar with. So, therefore we find ourselves not really developing a full understanding of what Paul was trying to get the elders to know in the book of Acts, chapter 20 and verse 27, "the whole council of God." I came to you, he says, to let you make, make sure you know, publicly and privately, that you will know the whole council of God, not something I just want you to be familiar with, not just something that will just pacify those people that might oppose you, or maybe to gain acceptance of somebody. Just to get you to understand, just get yourself enough information so that you will be able to pass the test in the world. Not really have a conviction.
Cultural wars, they are taking place. They have been taking place for quite a while. And in those cultural wars, you and I have got to understand that what's being done is there are a group of people, and I don't know the numbers of those people, and I don't know exactly where all those people are. We might think they're all politicians. We may think they're all particular right wing. They may all particular left wing. I don't know exactly where all they are, but they are people trying to determine what the future of our civilization is going to be like. And in the midst of this war that's taking place, there are people that are trying to determine what is right, what is wrong, what's going to be wrong later, what's going to be right later. And they're trying to figure out, what are we going to teach in schools? And they're going to try to figure out what is this person's gender. And they're going to try to figure out, what is it that needs to be done related to your neighbor? And they're going to try to figure out what are your rights? So, all these things are part of the cultural war that are taking place. And to answer the question, should the culture determine my understanding of Scripture. I want you to understand that this battle of cultural war has been going on for a long, long time. It's not just related to this century, and it's not just related to what's happened in this decade. It's been going on for a long, long time. That there has been this impact of the culture upon the Bible and upon the Church.
One of the things that I want you to turn with me and read and look at in the book of John 17. In John 17, the disciples are prepared, or being prepared I should say, by Jesus about what it is that they're going to face when he leaves. He's already talked about it back in chapter 14, that he's going to be leaving. And one of the things that Jesus states in his prayer here is that in verse two, and I want you, to I'm going to key in on this as we go through this. "Even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou has given him, he should give eternal life. And this is life eternal that they should know thee, the only true God and him who thou didst send, even Jesus Christ." And then from this point on, Jesus is going to in verse one, verse nine, pray for them, not the world, pray for them, not for the world, but those who now has given me for they are thine. And he proceeds to pray for these disciples, these men whom he's going to leave. Doesn't pray for the world. The world is going to do what the world's going to do, but in the midst of what the world does, will these individuals have what's necessary in the midst of the changing culture? Verse 17 says, "if they are sanctified in truth, Thy word is truth, even as thou didst sin mean to the world, even so, sent I them into the world." And there's been so much discussion sometimes about what kind of culture Jesus came into at the time at which he was born in the world. In the short period of time at which he was living what did he say? What did he do? Did he make adjustments? Did he change anything? What was his approach to the culture, and, and, did he use scripture?
Well at the end of this, or toward the end of this, I want you to notice as he talks about sanctifying them in truth in verse 19, "neither for these, only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word, that they may all be one, even as thou farther art in Me and I in thee, that they also may be in us, that the world that may believe that thou didst send me." And that's a very, very key point. Not only is he giving preparation to the hearts through the prayer that he offers to God on behalf of His disciples, but he's also praying for those that are coming in the future that will believe on Him, in order that there is going to be unity. Unity can be found, as it says in verse 22, "and the glory which thou has given me, I have given to them that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected unto one that the world may know that thou didst send me and loves me even as thou lovest me." He's trying to bring the apostles hearts, as well as all those who believe, to the throne of God, so that all of us could be one and believe in God, the Father, through their word. Through their word.
So, here we've got Jesus, the one who speaks, directing the hearts of these individuals to God, to be one and united with God. In the midst of the wars, the cultural wars, that'll be taking place, and there are a lot of people in the midst of the cultural wars that are taking place, praying for peace. They would wish there was unity. They're looking for oneness. They're looking for, pleading for, peace. There's so much division and so much animosity and so much separation. How do you ever bring this to oneness? How can there be unity? Well, if it is true, as Second Peter, chapter one says in verse three and verse four, "that we have all things that pertain to life and godliness," then how is Jesus going to view scripture in the midst of pluralistic society and a culture of which he lived? And how could we do the very same thing? It's so important that we go to the New Testament to answer that. But that's not the most often used place that people are going to look to answer this question of, should you, in the culture, continue a very good understanding of Scripture. Or should the culture change your understanding of Scripture? Therefore, what's Jesus' attitude towards scripture? Let me let you think about something in Mark chapter 12. One of the things that you're going to help us understand about what Jesus' view is of Scripture is that what he's going to do, he's going to have an attitude towards scripture that's going to place the origin of it with God, with the Holy Spirit. The statement that is made in Mark chapter 12, verse 36 Jesus Himself, David, rather said in the Holy Spirit, "the Lord said to my Lord, Sit down my right hand till I make thine enemies of footstool for thy feet." He's attributing David and what he said to the Holy Spirit, same thing of what he is speaking of in fulfillment of the Scripture, not trying to change it, but to fulfill it. This is Jesus attitude toward the scripture, that the Holy Spirit and the origin of the scripture comes from God to David to say what David did. And here's Jesus repeating the very same thing.
If you look over in the book of Second Peter, chapter one, verse 20-21, what does it say about the Holy Spirit? Or, excuse me, what does it say about the people that were writing the Scripture? "They were moved by the Holy Spirit, and it was of no private interpretation." Same was true with Jesus. Think about it from this standpoint, go over with me to the book of Matthew, chapter 24 in verse 15. Statement Jesus makes there, "when, therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let him that readeth understand." He is talking about something that was spoken through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place. And then notice this statement, "let him that readeth understand." He's not trying to change anything, Daniel said. He's trying to help us understand there's going to be a fulfillment of this. In the book of Luke, chapter four, verse 21 when Jesus was standing there in the synagogue in Nazareth, he's speaking about Isaiah, and all he's doing here is just helping us understand this is for you to know. This is a fulfillment in your hearing. This is a fulfillment of Scripture. Whether or not he had to live with the days of Daniel, or he had to live with the days of Malachi or the days of Isaiah, which were several years removed from the statements that are made in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John by Jesus Christ, He's not changing anything. He's respectfully fulfilling all of this. And there's been years a lot of cultures, a lot of societies, even to the point of being arrested, betrayed by Jesus, or Judas rather. All these particular things are all fulfillment, not changing anything, but just bringing it to pass, even in the midst of a changing society.
Well, that's okay, but what about when you're tempted? What about Jesus when he's tempted? Will the temptation be overwhelming? In Matthew chapter four, the first 11 verses, with every temptation that Jesus faced, there's a statement that he says "it is written." "It is written." It's not anything that he's trying to change. It's not anything that's trying to adapt to society. Well, in most cases, this is what somebody would do, and in most instances this is what other people might do. He overcomes the temptation with "it is written." Okay, but what about a moral question? See, that's what we've got going on in our day and time, like the one in Matthew chapter 19. Let's talk about divorce, marriage, divorce, remarriage. Let's talk about this moral question. In verse three, "the Pharisees come trying him and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" And there's a statement that he makes in verse four that is repeated a lot of different instances by Jesus, where he says, "Have ye not read?" "Have you not read?" And then he proceeds to give you the answer, of which was already stated, "that He who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and this cause shall a man lead his father and mother and cling to his wife." "Have you not read?" "Have you not read?" So, you answer a moral question with, have you not read? Interesting way to approach the culture's question. The able thing. That's why Jesus handled a pluralistic society.
Well, I hear a lot of people when they talk about dying, is it going to go to heaven? Well, Jesus approaches a destiny question, a scenario found in the book of Luke, chapter 16, verse 27 there is this moment by which Lazarus and this rich men have died. And the rich man says, "I pray therefore Father, that thou wouldest send him into my father's house, for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also should come in the place of torment." Abraham says they have Moses. "But Abraham said they have Moses, and the prophets letting them hear them. And he said, nay, Father Abraham, but if one would go to them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded one rise from the dead." So, the dilemma that people face is, if we could get somebody to come back from the dead, that would change everything about their life, even in the midst of what's going on. But no if they listen to what Moses and the Prophet said, that would be sufficient. That's sufficient enough to get them to understand where they should be living and what they should do. And this is Jesus speaking here in the book of John, chapter five, there's a statement that Jesus brings up here, or he says in verse 39, "you search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. And these are they which bear witness of Me." Jesus, over and over emphasizes the Scripture. Go to what it was already said, even verse 46, "if you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me, if you believe not, his writings, how should you believe my words?" What's Jesus going to do to change anybody, if they're their mind is skewed by the culture and the society, and it's dictated by what the situations are and all the things that are going on around them, and people are trying to change everything to adapt to their liking. Even the statement that Jesus makes, or a form of a question, Have you not read or what does the Scripture say? To me, seems to be a very telling moment about why the culture changed so much. They haven't read what the Scriptures say. And one of the most compelling moments of authority of Scripture is expressed by Jesus Himself in John, chapter 10, verse 35, "the scripture cannot be broken." It's final. It's irrevocable. It governs everything about life. It's a direction for every day to day living.
Instead of you and I just going to our favorite passage, our most familiar passage. It's very similar to John, chapter five, verse 39 if you search the Scripture and you read it, the question I have for myself and I pose to you is, do you believe it? Do you believe it? While the culture wants to remove scripture from your life, do you want to keep Jesus near and do you want to keep His scripture near? The days of wanting book chapter and verse have been going on for a long time, and we think maybe it's just particular to our generation or to the generation before, but Jesus used book chapter and verse already put that in place. Jesus already put it in place. While we may be academically and educationally and intellectually advanced in so many different areas, and possibly have found ourselves more knowing the culture than we do to know scripture. Why don't we just emulate Jesus own experience of Scripture? Even at a young age, at age of 12 in Luke chapter two, when he's in the temple, how does he answer all those people? "I must be about my Father's business." He's got the answers right there. It's written. It's already written. And something that you and I could do to review and good remember, is to go to all the places where Jesus was tried and tempted and has questions and see how logically and very clearly and in some cases devastatingly piercing his answers were to these people. Not to prove his point, not to say, I know more than you, but to show the faith in Scripture that he had. Whether it was exchanged with the Pharisees or trying to deal with this woman who came in, washed his feet, who Samuel was having trouble with, whatever the circumstance may be, go to what Jesus did. Even in the midst of a culture that changes and would rather you just dismiss your knowledge and experience and understanding of Scripture. Just let it go. It's antiquated. Doesn't seem like it's relevant. It's antique, it's old, it's worn out. Regardless of how irrelevant scripture is to most people, and it's not the book you're going to go to get all the answers that you need. And there may be some mockery on the parts of some who would say, how could you dare use this in this day and time? Well, of all the things that Jesus was saying, I want you to notice a statement that he's made. And you may face some really hard headed people just like Jesus faced some hard headed Jews. And some would even say, in John 10 verse 20, He is a demon. He's mad. Why do you hear him? But then there's some would come along and say, others said, these are not the words of one is possessed with a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? Oh, what a valuable statement that is.
But for what time I've got left, I got just enough time to go through something with you, to help you understand what we can do to consider Jesus. Do you know what it was, even through the prayer in John 17, that Jesus said to God Sanctify them in the truth. The word is truth. Do you know in John chapter 14, what it was that Jesus left with his apostles? In John 14:25, "These things have I spoken unto you yet while abiding with you, but the comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things that put your remembrance of all that I send to you and peace I leave with you, my peace, I give to you, not as the world gives give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither be afraid." And again, back at what I was saying a while ago. If Jesus, saying what he says, that He sanctifies, wants the truth to be sanctified in the hearts of these individuals, these disciples of his, and teach it to everybody, so that they would believe, and so the others will believe, and all of us be one, then it makes sense that they do need the Holy Spirit to reveal these words, so that we'll be at peace. And they get the chance to speak in Acts chapter Two. When the Holy Spirit comes in Acts. Chapter Two, they begin to speak. Do you know who is hearing? Verse seven, "They were all amazed and marvel. Behold, are not all these speaking Galileans." Well, yes. "But we hear every man, every man in our own language and of that which we were born." The cultures coming from Parthenians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontius, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Cyrene, Rome, Jews, Proselytes, Greeks and Arabians. Oh, you could not have picked a more varied culture to come together on the day of Pentecost than this moment.
And as a result, through the Holy Spirit's inspiration to these men. They speak about one man, Jesus the Christ, and then, according to what verse 41 says, "They that received his word were baptized and were added to them that day about 3000 souls." "And praising God," in verse 47, "and having faith with all the people and the Lord added to them, day by day, those that were being saved." So, therefore the question is, can you put together a group of people and unite them from all kinds of different cultures, regardless of the generation they came from, regardless of the century, regardless of where they are, whatever the culture, and bring peace. And the answer is yes. In the midst of the culture war, of which people are still debating policies, plans, politics, futures, Jesus is the answer. That's what the Ukrainians need. That's what the white man needs and the black man needs, and the rich man needs, and the poor man needs, and the people that are gender dysphoria need, and the divorce need and the married need, and the list goes on and on. That's who these people need. Jesus is the center of what is spoken in the book of Acts two. It brings you to the point of salvation. And that's what you take to the people of New Zealand. That's what you take to the people in the Ukraine. That's what you take to the people in Russia. That's who you take to the people in Africa, South America, Romania, Great Britain. You take them to all these people, and you take this to all those different cultures. And this Jesus is the one that makes a difference in the person living in the culture. Whether you take him to Rome, Cyprus or Athens. Even when there are people in that culture that are just like the people in Athens that are waiting for some new thing to come along, something different than maybe they've not heard before. You take this Jesus, the man that changes everything.
I wish I could get into a study with you. Don't have enough time to talk to you about Daniel. Daniel a Jew, crossing over into the Babylonian culture, crossing over into the Persian culture, and what it was that he did in the midst of every single one. The Babylonian as well as the Persian, did not change his ideas, his convictions, his commitment. And they witnessed it, and they praised the Lord God because of it. I got just enough time to express something to you in the book of Ephesians, chapter two. In Ephesians, chapter two this, to me, is one of the most amazing revelations of scripture here, when it comes down to this particular topic. You have got these Gentiles in the flesh in verse 11, who are uncircumcised. And please know that in the midst of cultural wars, there's going to be names labeled among certain people as in this one, uncircumcised, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. Verse 12, "strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope without God in the world. But now in Jesus Christ, ye that once were afar off were made nigh in the blood of Christ, he is our peace who made both one and broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh, the enmity thereby contain an ordinances that he might create in himself of the two, one new man, so making peace, so that they all may believe that thou didst send me and we can be one," as it says in verse 16, "and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain enmity, thereby." The Jews and the Gentiles, different groups of people, different cultures, different backgrounds, and when they both see scripture delivered by the Holy Spirit, should the culture affect their understanding of Scripture? No, their understanding of scriptures should remain the same. And that the peace that they need then, as what is the peace that we need now, is by what it says here, one new man, so making peace in Jesus, regardless of the culture. The Jesus of the Scripture crosses every culture, every generation, every era, and whatever the spiritual condition of the individual, to bring about peace in their life, and so that all of us could be able to believe in God. What a wonderful thing to hear and believe and obey the voice of Jesus, the man who brought us all together in one body. Thank you very much for your time tonight.