THE BIBLE MADE SIMPLE
Volume 2
2222
William T. Barrett
© 2007
The Bible Made Simple Volume 2
13 Bible Study Lessons
Lesson 2
1. Jesus as Teacher.
2. The Relationship of the Physical to the Spiritual.
3. Jesus uses Nature to Teach us Spiritual Lessons.
Object of Nature: Oil
4. Early Church Pioneer’s Method of Bible Study.
5. Bible Text Discovery Isaiah 7:22 butter for all
BIBLE STUDY - Lesson 2
- Opening Prayer
2. Jesus as Teacher.
3. The Relationship of the Physical to the Spiritual.
4. Jesus uses Nature to Teach us Spiritual Lessons.
Objects of Nature: Oil, Cave, Bread
5. Early Church Pioneer’s Method of Bible Study.
- Closing Prayer
JESUS AS TEACHER
“For His own wise purposes the Lord veils spiritual truth in figures and symbols…
In parables and comparisons He found the best method of communicating divine truth.
In simple language, using figures and illustrations drawn from the natural world, He opened spiritual truth to His hearers…” 6
“So it was with Christ’s teaching the unknown was illustrated by the known; divine truths by earthly things with which the people were familiar”. 7
THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE PHYSICAL TO THE SPIRITUAL
Each real or physical object has a spiritual “twin”.
Example: 1. Physical Lamp
2. Spiritual Lamp
Physical Food (BREAD)
Spiritual Food (GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE)
Physical Covering (GARMENT)
Spiritual Covering (CHARACTER of Christ)
Physical Shelter (HOUSE)
Spiritual Shelter (CHURCH)
Physical Protection (WALL)
Spiritual Protection (GOD’S LAW)
Physical Thirst (PURE WATER)
Spiritual Thirst (HOLY SPIRIT)
Physical Weapon (SWORD)
Spiritual Weapon (GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE)
Physical Rest (BED)
Spiritual Rest (SABBATH)
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Jesus uses Nature to teach us Spiritual Lessons
Object of Nature: OIL
Bible Verse: 1 Samuel 16:13
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward”.
By examining the uses or functions of the REAL OBJECT in Nature we will discover, why God chose “oil” to represent His Holy Spirit.
What are some of the uses for Oil?
1. To lubricate
Physical Oil helps parts to work together without friction.
Spiritual Holy Spirit helps church members to work together without friction and fighting with each other.
2. Burned to give Light
Physical Oil helps us to see where we are going Physically when there is darkness all around us.
Spiritual Holy Spirit helps us to see Truth from the Bible so that we can see where we are going Spiritually and avoid the evil all around us.
3. Put Moisture back in our bodies
Physical Oil helps members of our Physical body such as our face, and hands, which have become dry and hard to become soft and flexible.
Spiritual Holy Spirit helps members of the Spiritual Body of Christ (Church), who have become dry and hard set in their ways, to become soft and flexible and willing to change.
4. Burned to provide Heat
Physical Oil provides the heat to keep our bodies Physically warm.
Spiritual Holy Spirit provides the warmth of God’s Love, to keep His Body, the Church, Spiritually Warm and on fire for Him.
5. We need an “Oil change”
Eph.2:2 “…the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”. We need the Holy Spirit from the Lord instead of the unholy spirit of Satan.
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Jesus uses Nature to teach us Spiritual Lessons
Object of Nature: CAVE
Bible Verse: 1 Samuel 22:1
“David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his fathers house heard it, they went down thither to him”.
PHYSICAL
What is the use or function of a CAVE?
A cave would be a place to live if you had left your home and were in the wilderness.
What are the characteristics of a CAVE?
A cave is dark, and needs light. A cave is in the earth.
SPIRITUAL
What spiritual lesson does this object of Nature, a cave teach us?
Jesus left His home in heaven, a place of great light, and came to live on this dark earth. He is the light of this world and helps us see truth in the midst of Spiritual darkness.
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Object of Nature: BREAD
Bible Verse: 1 Samuel 21:3
“Now therefore what is under thine hand? Give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present”.
PHYSICAL
What is BREAD used for?
For Physical food: When we eat Physical bread, it gives us Physical strength, to do Physical work.
SPIRITUAL
When we “eat Spiritual bread” (read and understand the Bible), it gives us Spiritual strength, to do Spiritual work for Jesus.
When we eat Physical bread, it gives us the ability to live about 70 years. When we “eat” Spiritual bread (accept Jesus the Bread of Life), He gives us the ability to live forever!
Only Jesus can satisfy the Spiritual hunger of people and only Jesus can give us Eternal Life!
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Early Church Pioneer’s Method of Bible Study
William Miller – His understanding Made Clear
“Endeavoring to lay aside all preconceived opinions, and dispensing with commentaries, he compared scripture with scripture by the aid of the marginal references and the concordance.
He pursued his study in a regular and methodical manner; Beginning with Genesis, and reading verse by verse, he proceeded no faster than the meaning of the several passages so unfolded as to leave him free from all embarrassment.
When he found anything obscure, it was his custom to compare it with every other text which seemed to have any reference to the matter under consideration.
Every word was permitted to have its proper bearing upon the subject of the text, and if his view of it harmonized with every collateral passage, it ceased to be a difficulty. Thus whenever he met with a passage hard to be understood he found an explanation in some other portion of the Scriptures.
As he studied with earnest prayer for divine enlightenment, that which had before appeared dark to his understanding was made clear. He experienced the truth of the psalmist words: “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple”. Ps.119:130
With intense interest he studied the books of Daniel and Revelation, employing the same principles of interpretation as in the other Scriptures, and found, to his great joy, that the prophetic symbols could be understood. He saw that the prophecies, so far as they had been fulfilled, had been fulfilled literally; that all the various figures, metaphors, parables, similitude, etc… were either explained in their immediate connection, or the terms in which they were expressed were defined in other Scriptures, and when thus explained, were to be literally understood. “I was thus satisfied” he says, “that the Bible is a system of revealed truths, so clearly and simply given that the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein”.
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William Miller’s Method of Bible Study
1. He compared “Scripture with Scripture” using a Concordance.
2 Whenever something was “obscure” or hidden from his understanding, he compared it with every other text which seemed to have any reference to the matter.
3 Every hard to understand passage of scripture was explained in some other portion of Scripture.
4 The books of Daniel and Revelation were understood using the same principles of interpretation as were used in the other Scriptures.
5 The “terms” in which the figures, parables, metaphors, similitude, etc… were expressed were defined in the other Scriptures and when thus explained were to be understood literally.
William T. Barrett
Bible Made Simple Ministry