Shout where the Bible Shouts! whisper where it whispers

Shout where the Bible shouts, whisper where it whispers, many Bible scholars would agree, that is the rule of thumb when it comes to Bible interpretation. That rule safeguards both the speaker and his hearers from possible deception, shame or misunderstanding. The scripture says in a lawsuit, the first to speak seems always right until he or she is cross examined.

Proverbs 18:17 NIV

In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

For us to accurately interpret the Bible we must look for the one scarlet thread that runs across from Genesis to Revelation. This scarlet thread is the story of the redemption of mankind. The sacrifice of the only begotten Son of God Jesus Christ on the cross of calvary. We see this picture beautifully displayed when God provides a lamb of sacrifice in place of Isaac, the son of promise. It’s how Abraham answered his son Isaac after he asks, “the wood and the fire is here but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” that speaks it all, God’s providence at the cross.

Genesis 22:7 NIV

Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

The answer Abraham gave his Son is the essence of the entire Bible, to lose that thought as you read and study the Bible is to be like a ship at sea wondering without a rudder. How Abraham answered his son reveals the heart of God the Father in providing a substitute sacrifice, His own Son to take our place.

Genesis 22:7 NIV

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Beloved, that’s what we shout under the New covenant of grace, God (Christ) indeed provided Himself as a lamb at the cross of calvary for the redemption of mankind. I’m amazed though by how many of us who preach avoid this simple but yet most powerful truth. Many would rather shout on the subjects of prayer, giving, fasting, helping the needy, marriage, parenting, finances, e.c.t and whisper on the main message that brought us forth, the message of the cross. That’s the message that sustains us to the very end. Jesus the Christ is the message we should all shout. The unconditional love of the Father in giving us His only begotten Son. All the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament were a shadow of the sacrifice that the Father would give, all the laws of Moses were preparing us for this glorious dispensation of grace. What the animal sacrifices and the laws of Moses could not do, Jesus did! His one time sacrifice was enough, that’s the message we shout!

Hebrews 10:11-12 NIV

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

But when this Priest had offered for all time One sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God,

I remember asking myself some very fundamental questions years back. If i had a few minutes with someone whom i knew i would never meet again, what would be the most important thing for me to say to them? What would my message be? what would be that one message, that would guarantee redemption for that person? The Message is simples yet its the most important and the only one that can change a life in a matter of second. The message of the wonderful grace of God, revealed to mankind through the sacrifice of the cross, it doesn’t matter how sinful one is, how bad it looks, the cross is the solution for us all. That’s the message we shout!

If the message of the cross is too shallow for us to preach, then we must examine our fundamental belief system, lest we find that even after much labor, we have lived our entire lives in error, missed out on the very essence of our faith. Some 12 years ago i had to stop and ask myself, what do i really believe about the Bible, after i examined my belief system i realized that i had listened to the best messages preached by the finest preachers, i had a great pastor to shepherd me, but with all that, i still had a lot of uncertainties in life, i had not found my identity, the fundamental truth of the scriptures was not my core belief, i had to stop everything and look for that scarlet thread that cut through the entire Bible from genesis to revelation and make it my life philosophy. That scarlet thread was Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. Today that is the message that defines my life mission, the salvation of mankind is here, the forgiveness of sins and the righteousness of faith. That i believe is what the Bible is shouting. Amen.

God bless you!