…from a ‘preaching’ class I attended in 2015…

The Scriptures that I use are from 2 Corinthians 4: 1-2 and 2 Timothy 3: 16-17…

Words!

Said Hamlet to Ophelia,
I’ll draw a sketch of thee,
What kind of pencil shall I use?
2B or not 2B?

That little bit of nonsense was written by a poet by the name of ‘Spike Milligan’… I first read that one while researching for this talk, but the next little ‘didy’ I learned as a kid in grade-school… I never did know, nor could learn, who the original author of it was, but it helps to make the point that even when words might be remarkably clear, they can Sometimes be used in ways that make no sense!

‘Twas midnight on the ocean, not a streetcar was in sight.

The sun was shining brightly for it was rained all day that night.

‘Twas a summer’s day in winter and snow was raining fast,

As a barefoot boy with shoes on stood sitting on the grass.  

On the other hand, there are examples of words seeming to make no sense… unless you already know the meaning behind them, such as the song, ‘Mairzy Doats’. I Know I had heard Grandpa (and others…) sing it when I was a kid, but it wasn’t until I heard four of the Hee Haw gals do it in the late ‘70’s that I made a point to memorize it!

(Sing…) Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey. A kiddley divey too. Wooden shoe!”

It was probably at least a year later that my (then) wife said, in exasperation, “It’s, ‘Mares – Eat- Oats – and – Does – Eat – Oats…’!!”

(Me) Mares  eat  oats  and  does  eat  oats and  little  lambs  eat  ivy.. A kidd  will  eat  ivy  too… wouldn’t  you? (Shaking head… J )

In the early ‘70’s, I was a member of the ‘Concert Chorale’ at SIUE, and one of our ‘projects’ was to perform the entire ‘Missa Secunda’, or, ‘Second Mass’, by ‘Hassler’, at the dedication ceremony of what was then called the ‘Religious Center’ on campus. Since the director knew that few of us knew Latin, he taught us to sing the words by rote! Hence, I can still say things like, “pater omnipotens laudamus te” fairly accurately, yet have only the barest conceptions of what they mean!

Words!

It seems we have an almost limitless number of ways that people can put a series of words together! But when doing so, one has to accept that there are, sometimes, an almost limitless number of ways that different people will hear… or interpret… the same words!!!

So, is it any surprise that so many people seem to see God’s Word in so many different ways? Frankly, it SHOULD be!!! Paul says, in 2 Cor 4:1-2, “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” And in 2 Tim 3:16-17, he says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

That sounds pretty definitive to me!!! “All Scripture is God-Breathed!” Yet, when quoting it once during an online ‘discussion’, I had a DS… Yes! From Our conference!… try to tell me, in effect, that Paul’s writings were NOT a ‘valid’ source!!!!

Some time back I wrote a piece titled ‘Satan vs. the Bible’. I will include a link to it in the ‘printed’ portion of this message ( https://scluebbert.com/2021/03/18/satan-vs-the-bible/ ), or, you Should be able to do a ‘search’ for ‘scluebbert’ and add ‘Satan’ to find it… For now, though I’d like to read just a couple of excerpts from it……

“God has personally guided the Writers of His Word as well as those who worked to organize it! He chose a message to be presented that is as applicable to us today as it was 2000 years ago… AND as it will be 2000 years from Now!! To believe Anything else is to deny the Infallibility and Omnipotence of God!!

 “If there is a God, there is a Satan”.

“If there is a God, the Bible is His Inspired Word”.

What do these two statements mean, and how do we apply them to our lives? Consider with me, for a moment… Who benefits from changing or modifying the message of God? NO ONE but Satan! When men try to take messages and words out of context and twist them to mean something other than what God had intended them to mean, who benefits? Again, NO ONE but Satan! ANY message that attempts to rewrite, modify, add to, or detract from the Message of God IS OF SATAN!!! No matter how ‘well-meaning’ it might appear, if it is Not the Word of God, it is of Satan!! It is Really just That Simple!!!

MY God is Not fallible! He asks us to love Him above All others, and to love our neighbors as ourselves… He also gives us some guidelines of things To do… AND some Definite things to Not do! However, MY God Is a Jealous God… He does not ask Much of us… But what He asks, He Demands!! It is NOT given to Any One of US to rewrite His Word on Any account… To do so is nothing short of the handy-work of Satan!”

Words!

How many times have you heard people say, ‘That’s YOUR interpretation!’ If they are talking about Scripture, my reply is Always, “NO! It is Not! Other than translating from one language to another, God’s Word does not Need to be ‘interpreted’! I Read it… and I accept what it says! Period!