How To Read and Study Pt 2

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast, making Theology Central. Good morning everyone. It is Wednesday, September fourth, twenty twenty four. It is currently eleven forty three am Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. Well. Yesterday talking about our pet peeves, right, those things that really irritate us, those things that really bother us, those things that really frustrate us, right, and I said one of the things that bothered Oh, I gave you a number of things that really bothered me. But the main thing, the thing I was using for an opening illustration was one of the things that bothers me greatly is when I look around and I see all kinds of books that I have purchased, and I see one that I've not really done much with.

1:01 I haven't really I didn't really take notes on it. I've not used it in preaching or in a podcast or in teaching in any way, shape or form. I just feel like I've not gotten the most out of that particular book. I like to get the most out of things that I spent money on. It doesn't matter what it is. If it's a book, I want to do something with it, right, if it's if it's music, if it's a movie, I want to how can I get the most out of it? How can I use it and find new ways to use it so that it's not going to waste. It was worth it ultimately. So I was looking around and I noticed that I had brought a Bible home from the church, this one. Typically, this Bible typically has stayed in the church library. It's also kind of been back when when I was broadcasting at the church, sitting on the table where I used to do a lot of broadcasts.

1:55 The main reason it was there is it's a kjav study Bible, and I typically study Bibles like a reference tool, where I don't use it for my typical study. I grab it when I am studying to look at maybe notes or some tools that it has in it. But when I typically do my study, I try to start with just a Bible that just has the text, and study bibles are just there like a reference tool like a dictionary or an encyclopedia. So I know I've had this one for a while, but I've not really done much with it. Right. I don't feel like I've used the notes that much. I don't think i've referenced it. I'm like, well, it's going to waste, so I grabbed it again. This is the KJV Study Bible put out by Hallman. I really, I mean, it's very nice. I love the cover, everything about it. It's way too big to use for a preaching Bible because I like to carry mine around, so I don't even think I've ever used it. Even in preaching.

2:46 It would just have to sit on. The pulpit, but I typically like to have it in my hands, so I've not really used it in any meaningful way. But it was here in the study. I'm like, why did I bring this home? I don't know why, but. All right, let me know. Open it up. So, as I said yesterday, I opened it up and I found an essay right here before we even get to Genesis. And the name of this essay, the title of it is how to Read and Study the Bible. And I'm like, whoa, this is right up my alley because I love to read anything about how to read and study the Bible. I caught because I know, no matter how many times I've read it, no matter how many times I've studied it, no matter how many Bible colleges, seminaries, Bible institutes I've attended and graduated from, I will never know the Bible as well as I could, or as well as I should. I'm always trying to learn, and I hope that every time I learn something new, it only humbles me to show me how much further I need to go. So I'm always reading these things now.

3:47 To be fair, I'm always reading them, and sometimes I get very irritated because I'm like, wait, that's telling me how to read and study the Bible. That I apologize there started coughing. That's supposed to tell me how to read and study the Bible. Well, that that doesn't do anything. It's so vague, it's so it's so that no, I need an actual method I need. I need something more tangible. So a lot of times I read these things just because I want to see if it's a decent attempt to tell people how to read and study the Bible or if it's just another, I hate to say it, useless attempt. So many sermons I will here preach how to study the Bible. I'll listen to the entire series.

4:39 I'm like, nobody really knows how to study the Bible. You gave some general principle, some general idea, but you did not give them an actual method other than we'll read and read what comes before and comes after and look up across reference and look up some things in a dictionary, just some very basic concepts. But it's not a tangible method. So I sometimes read these things to criticize, but I also read them to try to learn as well. So I decided, well, since I haven't used this Bible in any real meaningful way, since I haven't used it, well, this would be a perfect time to open it up. Let's go to this essay.

5:21 And let's turn it into kind of a podcast series on how to read and study the Bible, and we'll just read through it and I'll offer my own perspective, my own critique, my own analysis, and hopefully the end result is we all learn a little bit more and how to study the Bible, and you'll hear multiple perspectives. So that's really the goal. And remember this essay was written by George H. Guthrie. George H. Guthrie, And as soon as I saw the name, like I bet you that this essay is an edited version of something he has written elsewhere. And well, I wasn't disappointed because I found that he had written a book entitled how to Read Your Bible by George Guthrie. How to Read Your Bible by George Guthrie. And then I realized, wait a minute, wait a minute, he's he's done. He's done more than just write one book on how to read your Bible. He's also written Because I realized I had also laying here in the study a book entitled A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better by George H.

6:30 Guthrie. I'm like, okay, so he's written at least a multiple books on this subject. Okay, so let's use this essay. Maybe i'll reference and I think today I am going to reference this book over here, and we'll just we'll just try to make the most out of it and see what we can get from it, and hopefully we'll be interesting in entertaining. Now I am going to do something here. Okay, I'm going. To save this. They have this free. When I was looking at the book on Amazon, they were promoting a new book for me, not in a new book, just promoting something else for me to buy Bible notes skim the entire Bible in a few hours instead of months. I wonder, I wonder what that's all about. Then they also have here a book entitled fifty two Week Scripture Devotional and Meditation Guide.

7:25 So I'm going to save that as well, because I'm always you know, any type of book that will help me be a better student, I'm always interested in. But the bottom line is I say all of that and interrupted the program to start coughing. I hope I muted the mic carefully, But I say all of that to say, we're going to continue with this essay. I may reference one of the books and we may talk about it, but I want you to know he has written a number of books on the subject. Obviously, Hallman, when they put together the Study Bible, wanted some type of article about how to read and study the Bible in front of the text of the Bible itself, to try to give people some tools and how to better utilize the scriptures, which is a good idea. Now, this one started off by again claiming the Bible is on the best selling list, and we kind of looked at that claim and not completely accurate, and we kind of looked at that a little bit again, and then the big thing at the beginning of this article was him claiming that basically, when we open the Bible, we're trying to hear from God.

8:29 And remember I had kind of a little pushback there right on one hand, Yeah, when I read Scripture, I'm hearing from God because it's God's word. So in a general sense, I'm in agreement, but he kind of took it more in a more personal way, like, as I read the Bible, I have to learn to listen, and he even says it's a skill. Have to develop the skill of listening so that I will hear God. No, I need to develop the skill and how to read and how to interpret what I'm reading. Because God speaks through the written word. He doesn't speak any other way. So it's not like, Okay, I read the Bible and then I stop and go, okay, God, what what are you going.

9:09 To say to me about it? You know, God is not talking to me outside of the Bible about the Bible, because once I start going down that path, you know what. That leads to. Well, God spoke to me, and this is how the Scripture is to be understood. When now I'm claiming my interpretation came directly from God, which would make it infallible. That becomes very problematic. God speaks to us through his written word. We have the responsibility of learning, learning how to read it and interpret it correctly based off its context, the words that are used, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So I didn't like this here from God concept, so we kind of pushed back on that. Then he are Then he began to say, why spend time and the Bible?

9:54 And that was the last paragraph that we read. Basically, he goes on to say this, perhaps your past has been marked by starts and stops and reading the Bible, and you're wondering whether you have the discipline to engage the Bible consistently well join the club. Most of us has struggled with the discipline of Bible reading and study. So it is worth giving consistent Bible reading and study another try, or a first try. Most believers knowuitively that it is it's important that we read and study that somehow intuitively we know this, But at the same time, he acknowledges that many Christians struggle with any consistent reading and study of Bible. Every statistical analysis that we've ever found has basically stated the same thing. Christians struggle to read and study the Bible in any consistent manner. Why is that the case? Again, what some people turn to is, well, that's because most people aren't saved. Well, that becomes you know, problematic.

10:55 You're throwing everyone out of the Kingdom of God based on I guess how many hours do you have to read the Bible per week in order to be saved? That becomes a problem. But the issue is people do struggle. And I think that people's reading or lack of reading, people studying and lack of studying more comes down to their personality. It's their own fleshly way they are, and it manifested what they read and study. Just in general, are you either are someone who likes to read and study that's usually just your natural tendency, or you're not, and that's going to transfer over to basically your Christian life. And the Bible. So he goes on to say, this is God's word.

11:38 So the reason we should spend time with it basically is because it's God's word. It's God's word and we can agree to that. Now, he said a lot of other things. I'm not going to go back and review all of that because that brings us to the next section. So we have the introduction, which is basically hear from God. I've challenged that why do we need to spend time in the Bible? Well, most Christians don't, but intuitively we know we should and it's God's word and so we need it basically, right, I'm kind of summarizing now the next section is going to be somewhat problematic, I think. All right, So here is the issue when it comes to reading and studying the Bible. What is the significance of the condition of your heart to be truly an effectual student of the Bible? Is the condition of your heart the critical element? Right? Like you say, okay, I'm going to be I want to be a good Bible student.

12:46 I want to read and study the Bible. How can I be effective? How can I actually be a good student? Does it literally come down to what is the condition of your heart? Is the condition of your heart the prominent, the primary factor that determines whether you're going to be an effective Bible student or not, or maybe we could say this is it the condition of your heart? That determines. If being a good if studying the Bible is even going to be a uh you know, have a positive effect on your life. Well, what is the role of the condition of your heart and studying the Bible? That is? That is the question. That's what he's going to address in the next section and in his book right here Reading the Bible Better.

13:31 He spends a lot of time on this is. He has an entire chapter called look to the Heart. It's the heart. It's the heart is the issue. He doesn't start with the mind. It's really interesting when when you're talking about being a good student, he doesn't start with your mind. He doesn't start with your ability, as you know, reading comprehension level, are you good at it? Bad at He doesn't start with understanding. You know, your understanding. He didn't start with their mind or your understanding like you think that's where you would begin. Well, to be an effective student of scripture, you've got to be a good reader. You have to have good reading comprehension. You need to know basic rules and how to interpret anything in a written format. You need to understand literary genre types. He sets all of that. He doesn't start with that. He basically starts. In fact, the very next section is this is what it is entitled, Begin with the heart. Start with the heart, not the mind. Start with the heart, not your understanding. Start with your heart, not your ability to identify a literary genre, literary different types, how to understand hermoneutical principles. No, his argument is, you begin with the heart. Now what do you think? Do you think it begins with the mind or begins with the heart. Now, I'm going to be honest with you. A natural inclination

15:01 here is to say it starts with the mind because the Bible is again it's in a written form. Your your ability to read and to study comes down to your ability to read and study anything in a written format. Your ability to read literature and understand structure and how it's put together, and a story, arc, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Character development, Oh, you know, symbolism, whatever the case may be. That's what's required. You start with knowledge, you start forget the heart. I'm going with the mind. You need a Bible study method, You need to know the proper steps. You need to understand the good and the bad and the ugly and cross referencing when something relates when it doesn't. You need to understand historical context, cultural content. You need on and on and on and on and on and on and on. I would say start with the mind. He's like, no, no, no, no, no no, start with the heart. The condition of the heart determines the effectiveness of study.

16:03 That is his philosophy. Mine is no. The condition of your mind determines the effectiveness of the study. Now, which one is right? Which one do you think is right? What do you think is the correct perspective? I think about eighty percent is going to be it's the heart. It's the heart, it's the heart. And I think about twenty percent will be like, no, it's the mind. Are you on team heart or team mind? I'm on team mind, I really am. And here's my reason.

16:43 I will I will justify my reason. If the condition of the heart is what matters, well, then how do you fix the condition of the heart without the scriptures? Don't you have to be don't you have to go to the scriptures the scriptures, study the scriptures and know the scriptures, because it's the scriptures that changes the heart. Is that not the typical way Christians understand it. Well, if that is true, then you got to start with how to read and study and understand so that you can change your heart? Or do I change my heart apart from scripture? And if I do, how do I change it without scripture? Do I look and say, well, my heart is messed up, so I shouldn't even bother reading the Bible? And do I can fix my heart?

17:29 But how do you fix the heart? Now you could argue what determines the condition of the heart. Is it the reading and study of scripture? Is it what I do and don't do? Or is it God? Well, then that creates a whole different challenge. So what do you start with? The heart or the mind? Now let's see how he makes his argument here. And I'm going I am I said, I wasn't going to do this. I was going to try to stay keep myself, you know, connected to the essay. But I am gonna at least come over to the book A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better by the exact same author, because obviously this is this is edited and kind of a you know, pulling.

18:17 Together a lot of his resources. But I am going to read a section here in the book at a here in a minute, I would like to go through this entire chapter on the heart, but I'm not going to do that right now because i just want to put forth the concept. And when you go to church, if you go to church tonight, or if you go to church on Sunday, ask people when it comes to being an effectual Bible student, when it comes to being a good Bible study, do you start with the heart or do you start with the mind? Ask your pastor. I think almost inevitably they're going to say it starts with the heart, because that sounds spiritual. But I struggle with this. But let's see how he approached the subject.

18:58 He handles it this way. In the Parable of the Seeds and Soils, Jesus used a word picture to describe the different levels of receptivity people have towards God's word. So he starts here with begin with the heart by pointing us to Mark chapter four, verses three through twenty. Mark Chapter four, verses three through twenty. And this is where things are going to get a little challenging here. So I'm going to I guess I'll just use the Bible that I have right here in front of me.

19:40 Let's go to mark. Chapter four. Mark chapter four, and he wants us to read three through twenty. Three through twenty that's a pretty good amount of scripture. We will read it slowly. This may take up a good portion of our time, but I've given you at least the concept. Do you begin with the heart or you begin with the mind? He says, you begin with the heart, And here is his argument. All right, So mark chapter three, verse one. And he began again to teach by the seaside. And there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship and set in the sea. And the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said into them in his doctrine, hearken, behold, there went out a sower to sow. Please note this is a parable. One of the most difficult things about parables is that everyone can run to the parable and grab any part of it and say this represents this, This represents this, And we can start trying to make every heart represents something.

21:01 And we remember, I've told you over and over and over. When it comes to a parable, sometimes you got to step back. I know it's tempting to go, well, this represents this and this and this, and even if things represent that typically, I think it's best to understand that the parables trying to just give us one main idea. It's not trying to give us all these different, you know, connections, and then we draw all these lessons from each thing it represents. I think it's just one typically major lesson. So just keep that in mind, because this parable is used to get into a lot of It. Goes a lot of different directions. But here we go. Are you ready? So Jesus begins the parable hearken. Behold, there went out a sewer to sew.

21:48 Verse four, and it came to pass. As he sold, some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. So there's the wayside, now, please not. We got to so we got a we got sower. We have we have we have a sower, went out to sow. So we got the sower. We've got seed. Here we have the wayside, and we have now birds eating up the seed. Right now, we know that some of what some of these things represent, and it turns into again I think sometimes we end up missing the major point. All right. So the first one is on the uh fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the.

22:30 Air came and devoured it up. Next and some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched because it had no root. It withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and yielded no fruit. And others fell on the good ground and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased and brought forth some thirty, some sixty, and some a hut. Now this parable has been used to say, well, some of this represents lost people. Only one of these represents a saved person, and they turn it almost into a discussion about soteriology or proof of salvation.

23:13 I don't think this parable has anything to do with souteriology. I think you've got to be very I think that's going way beyond the intention of the parable. People have turned this into the condition of the human heart. There's so many things people have done with this. Well, let's see what the explanation is, and Jesus says in verse nine, he said, unto them again, this is the multitude that he's teaching. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Those of you who have ears to hear, let them hear. And when he was alone that when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him of the parable. And he said, unto them, unto you, it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Unto them that are without. All these things are done in parables, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand.

24:11 Less at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven, should be forgiven them. Now that's a controversial passage because it seems to imply that the parable there is not given so that they can see. The parable is given so that they cannot truly understand. Let me read that to you again, all right, So he says, unto you, it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom. That's his disciples, those whom he has chosen, those that we would. Refer to a save. But unto them that are without All these things are done in parables that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear but not understand. So we always have the idea that the parable is there to make it easier to understand. Well, no, not really, because for in some cases the parable is actually to keep people from the truth, not to bring the truth to them.

25:01 And you have to then reconcile that with your own theology. Okay, now, some people say, well, that's not necessarily the reason for the parable. It's just the result of the parable. What we could get into that debate if you so desire, But we want to see how this is being utilized about teaching us how to read and study the Bible. So then he says in verse thirteen, know ye not this parable? And how then, how then will you. Know all parables? So we asked the question, know ye not this parable? How then will you. Know all the parables? If you don't know this parable, If you don't understand this parable, the implication is you're not going to understand any of them. You've got to be able to understand this parable. So he begins to explain it. The sower soweth the word, So the sower is the person who sows the word of God. So the sower is the person who has the word of God and sows it.

25:57 And so the seed obviously is the word of God. And there and these are the are, if I can read correctly, And these are they by the wayside where the word is sown. But then, uh again, let me read this again. And these are they by the wayside where the word is sown. But when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that has that was sown in their hearts. So the first group of people, the word of God is sown, but Satan immediately comes and takes it, takes it away. What was in the heart. Now you almost almost want to describe this. Well, no, it never even made it into the heart. But he, literally the text says, he taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

26:45 So the word was sown in their hearts. But the wayside, then, just are the people that the word Satan immediately takes it away verse sixteen. And these are they, likewise, which are sewn on stony ground, who when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness. But have no root in themselves, and so endure, but for a time afterward, when effect, affliction or persecution arise it for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are which are sown among the thorns, such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And then verse twenty, and these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the word, receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some one hundred. So there's the parable. All right, you've got the sower. You got to seed, which is the Word of God, and then it's sown. And these are the different responses to it.

27:42 Now. Well, again, what some people do is they turn this into an argument about salvation. I don't think this is about soteriology. I think this is simply about how people receive or don't receive the Word of God, the different ways people can receive it. I don't think this is necessarily like which group is saved, which group is not saved. It doesn't seem to be the indicate the purpose here. I don't think this is necessarily an issue. Most people turn this to an issue about the heart. I don't. I think maybe that will work. Let's go back to the article and see how they use it. But I wanted to read the whole parable, and we'll see what we can do with it. All right, here is what the article does with the parable.

28:23 Here's what it says. Are you ready? Here we go In the Parable of the Seed and the Soils Mark chapter four three through twenty, which we've now read, Jesus used a word picture to describe the different levels of receptivity people have towards God's word. I do believe that's the main purpose of the parable. It just shows, hey, when you're out there sowing the seed, you're going to get a variety of responses. You're gonna get a lot of different responses. There will be different responses. I think that's the main focus. But it goes on to say this, right. He tells of a farmer sowing seed along the edge of a field. Some seed fall on the hard packed path beside the field, Some fall on rocky ground that has little top soil, Some fall into the weeds, some fall into furtive soil that offers a good environment for growth.

29:17 The various places they fail provide images of the human heart as it is confronted with God's word. So now he is now added really a dimension. The soils represent the human heart. Well, that is that the way? Is that true? So then you see where this is going to lead if we go with his philosophy. Well, then, hey, the effectiveness of God's word in your life, if it's going to be affected, if the word of God's actually going to grow, if the word of God is actually going to produce anything lasting, then what determines that is your heart. So you have to make sure your heart is right or the word of God will not do anything.

30:03 So then is that is that? Make it up to you? So how do you change the heart? That would seem to almost imply that you have to change the heart apart from God's word, because God's word can't do anything until you change the heart. This would not be the word of God changing your heart. Now you have to change the heart so that the word of God can do something. If your heart is not right, the word of God doesn't do anything. Well to me, the word of God is the thing that's supposed to change the heart. See I don't think this. I think we take the parable too far. This is simply just acknowledging a reality. People are going to respond differently. He's using a word picture just to say everyone's going to respond differently to it.

30:45 But the article goes on to say this, some people have hearts that are hard packed, like a frequented footpath. God's word does not get through to these hearts. Others have shallow hearts that seem open to God. The word comes and they respond, but the moment things get tough, the pressures of life override, override the principles of God's word and the spiritual, and their spiritual life withers. A third type of person engages God's engages God's word. All right, let me read this again. Okay, yes, okay. So a third type of person engages God's word at a deeper level, but worries and desires for worldly things squeeze out the word, choking it from the person's life. Finally, there are those people who receive the word with a heart like a well tilled filled This is a picture of a person fully receptive to God's word, and God's word brings exponential, exponential growth to their spiritual lives. So see that according to this article, everything is about your heart.

31:50 Your heart is the issue. Hey, it doesn't even matter if you read the Bible, doesn't even matter if you study the Bible, doesn't even matter if you go to church the word of God, it's not going to do anything, is not even going to get in. It's going to be unfruitful even. If it does spring up. If it's not, if your heart's not really tilled right, it's just gonna go away. So it's really useless, it's meaningless. You have to get your heart right. So again I have to get the heart right apart from God's word. That's where this becomes somewhat problematic. Then it goes on to say, which pattern of response describes the condition of your heart today. Perhaps you have never committed to following. Christ as the lord of your life.

32:32 I encourage you to talk to a Christian or a minister whom you trust and ask them about following Christ. For First Corinthians tells us that a person who is not a Christ follower cannot engage spiritual truth in a way that is life changing. So this would be the beginning place for you turned to Christ asking him to bring his good news to life in you. Or perhaps you have committed or perhaps you have committed your life to follow Christ, but your heart is not very receptive to God's word at this time. You may be plagued by a heart that is consumed with worry or material things. Sin and self absorption can eat the heart of your Bible study began your path back to a healthy relationship with God by crying out to Him right now and asking Him to forgive you for your hard heartedness, expressing your desire to hear and live His word. So what this seems to say is, Okay, your heart condition may be messed up because you're lost, so get saved. Well, then does your heart condition become great? Well No, not necessarily, because it says you maybe actually be a follower of Christ.

33:36 But you have a hard hearted heart, so you need to do something about it. So what do you do about it? Supposedly you cry out to God and fix it? But if God, why didn't God just fix it when you got saved. If God is the one doing the fixing of the heart, why didn't he fix it the minute you got saved? Well? Maybe he did fix it, but then you can develop heart heartedness. So now you got to cry out to God to fix it again. So does God fix it once or does God have to fix it multiple times? So it seems like I go direct I don't need the Bible to fix my heart heartedness. I go directly to God. God fixes my heart heartedness. Then I go to the Bible. Then growth exponentially will occur. My growth will happen. So the way he's if we were to chart this out, here's the key.

34:27 All right, your heart, your heart condition determines whether you be an effective Bible student. So your heart condition could be messed up because you're lost, and your heart condition can still be messed up even as a saved person. What you have to do is recognize your heart heartedness. You have to recognize your heart condition is not right. Then you go directly to God. God supposedly fixes it, even though he obviously didn't fix it in salvation, but he now fixes it now all the word of God can actually get inside of you and now can Now does that mean at any time the heart heartedness. Could come back? Does God fix it once. Or does he temporarily fix it? And then it's up to me to either have it or not have it. And then so then does God's word.

35:11 It sounds like God's word has no real impact on your heart, being hard or not hard. You see where this parable. If you start taking this apart, you were started in a sense, I think you run into some really major like you're just going to be going in circles. So I wanted to hear like maybe a different perspective. So I looked up some things. I did find this. Now I don't know if you'll agree with this, but I did find this. Here's what I found. The parable of the sower, or the parable of the Seed and soils, is found in three of the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The common interpretation of the soils as different conditions of the human heart is based on jesus explanation of the parable, where he describes how the seed the word of God falls on different types of ground, each representing different responses to the Gospel Messa. However, the idea that we must change the condition of our heart to be recepted for God's word is not explicitly stated in the parable. Instead, Jesus explains the different kinds of responses to the word. Now, I just want to make sure you realize I don't believe.

36:16 I don't believe at. Any point in the parable. You can work on this and tell me whether I'm right. I could be wrong here. We may have to look this up. Does Jesus ever refer to the soil being the heart or do we just assume, well, the soil represents the human heart because on and the one parable when we. Read it, Hey, that's the wayside. But then when Jesus described it the Word of God is in the heart, well, we think, well, the wayside it doesn't even get in the heart, but it's in the heart. But Satan comes and takes it away. But it does sound like it's in the heart. So is that how we get the idea it's the heart. It sounds like maybe I guess I can make an argument there when Jesus says that Satan comes and takes the word that's in the heart, Well, then that would seem to imply I guess that the heart is that soil.

37:13 But it's not that it just lays on the top. It actually gets in the heart. See, that's the problem with these parables going too far. So maybe we could argue that it is the heart, so here we go. So, however, the idea that we must change the condition of our heart to be receptive to God's word is not explicitly stated in the parable. Instead, Jesus explains three different kinds of responses. The path represents those who hear the word but satan immediately takes it away. To the rocky ground represents those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but have no root, so they fall away with. Trouble or persecution. Thorns represents those who hear the word but are distracted by the worries of life, deceitfulness of wealth, and desires for other things. And then the good soil representing those who hear the word of God, accept it, and produce a crop a fruitful response to the Gospel. Now, this source goes on to say, nowhere in jesus explanation does he directly come to command listeners to change the soil of their hearts. Instead, the parable serves to illustrate the different reactions people have to the gospel, reflecting the sovereignty of God and how individuals respond to his word.

38:20 The emphasis seems to. Be more on the reality of varying responses rather than a directive to change one's heart condition. That said, in the broader Biblical teaching, there are references to the need for a transformed heart, where God promises a new heart, but the transformation is often portrayed as a work of God rather than a human endeavor. Thus, while it is true that a receptive heart is necessary for fruitful reception of the Word, the Parable itself does not draw the conclusion that one must change their own heart's condition. It simply represents the different responses to God's word. So their argument is the Parable really is only just saying, hey, this is a different way people respond. It's not necessarily like you've got to go change heart. And if you don't change your heart, the word of God won't do anything. Now, in the book Reading the Bible Better Right, in the book Reading the Bible Better, Guthrie says this, if you think about it, the problem with each of these first three soils is a problem of space. The Word does not thrive because there's not enough room for it to thrive.

39:29 Only the fourth seed in soil was pictured represents a person who has a generous space, a big heart ready to receive and thrive in the Word of God. It is not hard or shallow or congested with other things that distract from the Word. There is a heart hospitality to the Word, and more importantly, there is a heart hospitality to the Lord of the Word. Relationships cannot thrive without space, then, it says, but for now, ask yourself, which of the soil represents your life at this point in time. Examine the condition of your heart. Is there a heart hospitality in you? How would you diagnose your current condition? After all, if you don't deal with the issue first, you will never establish a pattern of reading the Bible well, and therefore you will not grow as you should in your relationship with the Lord.

40:20 There just won't be space for it. You have to go. You have got to recognize and deal with your heart issues and make space for what matters, for ultimately, we are reading to grow in our relationship with God. So basically, what he is saying is, you've got to examine the condition of your heart and then you've got to fix it. Well, what do I use to fix my heart? Wouldn't the inevitable result be the Word of God? But the Word of God can't get in unless I fix my heart. According to this reading of the parable, do you not see the circular problem? Hey, the Bible will not do you any good. It will not even get inside of you.

41:04 You will not even grow, And if there is any apparent fruit or growth, it's going to immediately go away. The Word of God is not going to do anything for you until your heart is right. Okay, and you have to make your heart right. How do I make my heart right? Well, the best he's offered so far in the essay and in the book so far is just cry out to God. So I just cry out to God and God fixes my heart? How does God fix my heart? Does he just now make it receptive to the word of God? Now? Does that last the whole time? Do I have to constantly be asking for that? What? Why didn't why didn't he fix it? Why didn't he fix it?

41:48 And salvation? Why wouldn't God just say you're saved. Your heart is fixed, it's now receptive. It's now what did he use? It's it's hot, it has hospitality towards God's word, it has it's it's hospitable to the Word of God, it's welcoming to the word of God. It's opening it's heart, it's open to it, and so now you'll be transformed. So why wouldn't you just like you either have to argue, if your heart's not open to the word of God, then you're just not saved. Well then you have to I guess, I don't know, throw everyone out. So I guess that's what some people do with the parable. The only person saved in the parable, according to some people, is the last one.

42:30 Everyone else is lost. So if you're truly saved, then your heart's open to the word of God, and then boom, you're going to be doing this and this and this and this and this. I just don't know. I don't think the Parable is trying to say that. I think the Parable is just trying to say there will always be different responses to God's word, not only in different people in your own life. It can be within a twenty four hour period. Sometimes you open up the Bible and read it and you just feel like, wow, man, it's there, it's convicting, it's doing something. And then sometimes you read God's word. And it's just like, hmm, well what do I do?

43:14 Like not much as you just feel like nothing is going on with it. And it can't be the condition of your heart. It could be a million It can be your attitude, it could be your emotions, it could be a good day back. Who knows, there can be a million issues. I don't think that means you're not saved. So here's the question, where do you start the heart of the mind? And if you start with the heart, how does this work? How do you fix it? How do you fix the heart? I said, I would think you need God's word to fix the heart, that God's word can fix the heart, challenges the heart, helps transform the heart. But this argument is nope, the heart has to be changed before the word of God can do anything. If you say, well, God, your heart can only be changed by God, well then there's nothing you can do. And so if your heart's not changed, then it's God's fault. Well, nobody wants to say that. How exactly is this supposed to work? I mean, I love the concept that, hey, start with the heart. Hey, we're going to do a class on how to study the Bible. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I got some bad news.

44:25 Unless your heart is right, the word of God is not going to do anything for you. Sermons aren't going to do anything. Preaching Bible study, It's going to be useless. It's going to bounce off, just going to bounce off. And maybe your hard to be good enough that'll get in there a little bit, but it's just it's going to be kind of just fake growth. It's going to show up and just disappear. It's just going to be a facade. So really, unless you know your heart is right, there's really no point in listening to sermons or reading the Bible. Do you see how that's not a Is that the way that's supposed to work? So how do you reconcile this?

45:10 What do you do? What do you do? And I'm looking here, Yeah, I don't think really has much here. Basically, then it kind of goes that I'm supposed to like I need to read the Bible to develop my relationship with God, but it doesn't. He doesn't ever really answer the question how how does this? What is the proper proof? What is the what does the flow chart look like? Let's see, so God has to change the heart.

45:52 How do I know if my heart has changed enough for good Bible reading? Well, now you just have to really examine your heart now if your heart's not changed enough, and then the Bible study will be in effect ineffectual. I don't know what else to say other than all I can do is leave it there. Where do you fall? And I'm leaving this to you now. You can go listen to sermons on Mark chapter four. But you've got the sermons two point oh. App just start listening to random sermons? And how do they handle it? Who do you start with the heart? And who changes the heart? Now, if you say God's word changes the heart, well that's gonna make no sense since God's word can't get into the heart to change the heart unless the heart's already right.

46:45 So are all Christian hearts right when most all Christians believe that the heart is not always right? All right, I'll stop there. I know I left us with more questions than answers, but I'd love to get your feedback so you can let me know what you come up with. Maybe it's a maybe it's a riddle without an answer. I don't know. But I'm seeing a logical fallacy here. I'm seeing like almost a circular reasoning here. I'm seeing that it just doesn't make sense when I try to map it out all right, You let me know what you think.

47:28 All right, I'll start right there. Everyone, have a great day. God bless