Understanding

Part Two

Review

• Knowing, Growing, Understanding, Living, Giving

• God’s structured plans work best

• Understanding how everything fits together just like a jig-saw puzzle.

• Don’t add, Don’t take away, Don’t mix the pieces up. The pieces in their proper places will give a complete picture.

Understanding

• There are limitations or boundaries like the edge or side pieces of the puzzle.

• The limitations are the respect for Biblical authority.

• All the pieces are fitted together in a unison or unity arrangement.

• So when we consider each part of the salvation process, we know they work together.

Nehemiah 8:3 Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the

men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people

were attentive to the Book of the Law.

• Those who had the mental capacity to grasp what the words meant.

• What they were hearing was the word of God, so they were attentive.

Nehemiah 8:7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai,

Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law;

and the people stood in their place.• Most of the people had not learned the

Law of God, so someone needed to guide them to comprehend what was required of them under this law.

• On this rare occasion, the people actually accepted and tried to learn God’s law.

Nehemiah 8:8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand

the reading.

• As we teach from the scriptures, we try to explain in a way that people can relate to.

• Just as Jesus used word pictures of common events to give the people a sense of what the kingdom of heaven was like.

Nehemiah 8:13 Now on the second day the heads of the fathers' houses of

all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the

words of the Law.

• There was too much information to be comprehended on one day.

• The second day the heads of the households had a special Bible study session.

Psalm 14:2; Psalm 53:2 “The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if

there are any who understand, who seek God.

• IOW, does anybody “get it”? Does anybody see?

• Is there anybody who is seeking a relationship with God as more important than just possessing things.

Psalm 119:27 Make me understand the way of Your

precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wondrous works.

• Precepts a.k.a. testimonies, laws, ordinances, will, commandments of God.

• Learning what God teaches us is right or wrong is what we should be learning.

• Ephesians 4:15-16 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Conclusion

• Just like the puzzle, all the components of Christianity, and our responsibilities to our souls are to fit together for our good.

• The problem is that many leave out, add to, or exchange pieces of our puzzle and ruin it not only for themselves, but others.