Penned By Man…Authored By God

Scripture Reference: (2 Peter 1:20-21,KJV)

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old-time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Introduction:

Greetings Christlike Ministries NWA Family, I realize that it’s been a while, but I believe God’s given us something to talk about, and we’re going to do so within the confines of this seven message series from John Piper “Hearing From God”. We’ve done series by John Piper before, and they’ve all been pretty good. I expect this one to be just as good, and I hope y’all enjoy it.

We’re going to eventually get back to our series from Oswald Chambers legendary devotional “My Utmost For His Highest” later on in the year, but I felt like God was directing me to take a step back to focus on being Elisabeth’s father…and I believe He’s ready to turn me loose once again to write messages that hopefully will inspire, encourage, and challenge those of you who faithfully follow along with these posts.

I’m excited to talk about Hearing From God because there’s a lot of myths out there, and I’m wondering if any of them are going to be talked about here in this series. So, without any further delay, let’s get into this new series, and see what God would have to say to us through Mr. Piper about “Hearing From God.”

Let’s Pray:

As always before we can start a message, I would like to ask you to pray and believe with me for God to work through these messages…

Heavenly Father, I thank You for giving me the green light to return to writing, and I would ask as always that just as You did with the writers of Your Word that You would make my fingers that as a pen of a ready writer…writing only of the oracles of You. I ask You, Lord God, to anoint my fingers to write and type as the Holy Ghost anoints and speaks. I ask that You would prepare our hearts, Lord God for what You are about to speak to us through these messages. I ask You, Father, for readers that have ears to hear and hearts that will be receptive and responsive to what You’re about to speak, and that we would all be changed and transformed by these messages. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen & Amen.

Today’s Message: “Penned By Man…Authored By God”

One of the greatest and most common objections about the Bible is that men wrote it. It’s truly difficult for people to believe that man could write something that God breathed and inspired…however the fact is the Bible is very much transcribed by men as they wrote exactly what God told them to write, and while it may have been penned by man…let there be no mistake…the Bible is God’s Word, and He is it’s Author.

This passage teaches that when you read Scripture, what you are reading does not merely come from a man but also from God. The Bible is the writing of many different men. But it is also far more than that. Yes, men spoke. They spoke with their own language and style. But Peter mentions two other dimensions of their speaking.

I have no doubts or questions that while the Bible may have been written by many writers…there is only ONE Author. I know that there are many who think that’s what makes the Bible fallible, but let me be as clear as I can be…there are no inconsistencies in the Word of God, but there are a lot of inconsistencies in people’s theology and interpretation of God’s Word.

The facts are writing these messages has helped me to understand what it may have been like for the writers of the Bible. I’m in no way suggesting that my writings are equal to the Bible. I am just saying that doing this gives me an idea of what it meant to have what you’re writing be God breathed. It’s a huge honor and responsibility when you put what God’s speaking into writing…because when it’s in writing…it’s there for all to see.

Preaching is something that I would never really see myself doing, but in a sense every time I sit down to pen a message (or in this case type) I’m doing just that. My preaching just happens to be in written form. It’s always best, however, when the anointing of the Holy Ghost is available to help me write. If I can’t write without the anointing…then I can attest that the those who wrote the Bible couldn’t write without the anointing either. I can also understand how every word they write was God breathed…because there are times when I’m writing that I have to go back to read my own messages because I get into such a flow with the anointing that until I go back and re-read what I wrote I don’t even know what I wrote.

It’s not far-fetched to believe the Bible may well be penned by man, but that every thing those writers wrote was breathed and spoken to them by God to write. In fact, that’s exactly what I believe happened, and you may call me a fool…you’re welcome to that opinion…but I have no doubt that if God said something happened a specific way…then that’s exactly how it happened.

But Peter mentions two other dimensions of their speaking.

First, they spoke from God. What they have to say is not merely from their own limited perspective. They are not the origin of the truth they speak; they are the channel. The truth is God’s truth. Their meaning is God’s meaning.

Listen. Today everyone who has called upon the Lord to be saved whether they like it, believe it or not we’re all called to be ambassadors for Christ…all of us. That doesn’t mean that everyone is going to stand behind a pulpit, but it does mean that we’re all called to represent God every where we go. We’re to represent God in the grocery store, in our place of work, or simply in our neighborhood.

So, if we’re called to be His ambassadors then again that leads me to believe that every one of the people who penned what God spoke was speaking for God.

The truth is God’s truth. Their meaning is God’s meaning.

The problem is that people think that the writers of the Bible is where the truth lies, but the truth of the Bible isn’t true because it’s in the Bible…the truth is the truth because God spoke it. It’s God’s truth that’s penned throughout the pages of the Bible, and not man’s…and that’s where folk get messed up.

Just because men wrote the Bible doesn’t mean that’s where the origin of Truth comes from. Jesus said very clearly in John 14:6 that He is the Truth…and therefore since the Bible is really all about Jesus…and we know that because of the Bible that in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God (John 1:1), and we also know that “the WORD became flesh and dwelled amongst us” (John 1:14).

So, when you take John 1:1 and John 1:14 into account, and you add to it John 14:6…it’s clear that just because man wrote the Bible that doesn’t mean that’s where the truth of the Bible comes from…the truth is God’s Truth…the Truth…is God.

I think that’s one of the reasons I’m so drawn to verses like John 14:6…because there are many verses that are open to interpretation…but this one is cut and dry. Jesus isn’t just “A Way, A Truth or A Life”…Jesus is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life”…and some times people like me need verses like this where God says…this is what I am saying…and this is what I mean. PERIOD.

It amazes me how many people (Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn) can find some kind of “grey area” in this verse because to me…it’s pretty cut and dry…and I feel sad for those who don’t get or understand or believe in the directness of the point of this verse…it’s not open for your own personal interpretation…it says what it means and means what it says.

The Bible is God’s Truth. The Bible is God’s Word. The Bible isn’t some collection of stories…it is the infallible, inerrant Word of the Living God…and I also feel sorry for those who seek to poke holes into the truth of God’s Word…because one day they’re going to stand before the God they called a liar…and I just wonder if they’re going to stand there with the same arrogance in which they stand now. My guess is they’re going to crumble into a heap knowing that they’re about to spend the rest of eternity regretting that they ever thought mocking God or God’s Word was a good idea.

For the record…mocking God is a horrible idea.

Second, not only is what they spoke from God, but how they spoke it is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Men, moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God. God did not simply reveal truth to the writers of Scripture and then depart in hopes that they might communicate it accurately. Peter says that in the very communicating of it they were carried by the Holy Spirit. The making of the Bible was not left to merely human skills of communication; the Holy Spirit himself carried the process to completion.

Now we come to the point I was getting at about what I do. How I write and what I write is controlled by the Holy Spirit. I’ve tried writing without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and I can tell you that not only was I unable to write anything of value…but I wasn’t really able to write. I’ve tried writing without the Holy Ghost’s help, and I couldn’t. I couldn’t write at all.

Before I turned my ability to write over to the Holy Ghost I thought I was a pretty decent writer, but when I gave the gift He gave me back to Him…there’s no question that I’m a better writer as a result…and that’s why I refuse to write just to write. If the anointing to write isn’t there…I don’t write at all.

There are many times lately that I’ve literally done nothing. I mean I didn’t even have the anointing to post daily scriptures, and so I didn’t. I’m not joking. I usually try to at the very least post daily scriptures on the various social network sites we’re on…and there were days when I didn’t even sense the anointing to do that…and I didn’t.

Why?

I’ll tell you why. Even though I’m the one that’s typing out these messages I want you to understand that it really is the Holy Spirit that’s in control of what I write. Look, I promise you that there are times I will re-read a message I’ve written just to find myself in awe by some of the things I’ve written. I’ve always thought of myself as a decent writer, but I promise you there’s a major difference between what I write of my own ability and what I write under the anointing of the Holy Ghost.

The making of the Bible was not left to merely human skills of communication; the Holy Spirit himself carried the process to completion.

I am in no way comparing what I write to the Word of God, but what I write works the same way. I can’t write without the anointing of the Holy Ghost to do so. It’s not the Word of God, but it’s word from God…and that’s an awesome yet amazing responsibility. Don’t’ ever doubt the validity of the Word of God just because it was penned by man…because while men may have penned the Bible…I fully believe they were merely transcribing what they were being told to write by the Holy Ghost.

I believe these words are so powerful that I will close this message with them…

They are not the origin of the truth they speak; they are the channel. The truth is God’s truth. Their meaning is God’s meaning.

In Closing:

The Bible is God’s Word. The words may have been written by men, but there’s no doubt they were writing exactly what God was telling them to write. I recognize that the reason so many believe the Bible isn’t trustworthy is because men penned it, but there’s no doubt within this pastor’s heart or mind because I know that while men may have penned it…it was authored by God.

I am really excited about this. It’s important in these last days to know the difference between God’s voice, our voice, and the voice of the world. The Bible is the Word of God…and whenever you read it…you’re reading what God spoke through the people who wrote it down.

I hope you’ll continue to join me through the rest of this series “Hearing God Speak” because in these last days as the sheep of the Shepherd it is of vital importance that the voice we hear is His and His alone.

This concludes the first of seven messages in this series. I hope you’ll join me on our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/ChristlikeMinistriesNWA, follow us on Twitter @ChristMinistNWA is how you’ll find us, and of course right here on WordPress at www.christlikeministriesnwa.com.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for leading us to this series about Hearing from You. After all, of all the voices clamoring for our attention…Yours is the most important for us to tune our ears to. Help us, Lord, to know the difference between Your voice…and the others that would seek to distract us from hearing You. In Jesus name we pray. Amen & Amen.

Final Word:

Friends, I hate to do this, but I’m afraid I have to ask for your help. In April our WordPress Premium will expire, and that includes the ability to have our own domain name. I don’t want to pressure anyone into supporting this ministry financially…but it’s come time for me to at the very least ask those of you who are fed by this ministry to please think about helping us out.

No matter what the ministry is…there’s always operating costs, and I can promise you that any money that is ever sent to this ministry will always go directly into the ministry. It will never, ever go into my pocket…I’m not in ministry to profit…I am in ministry to preach the gospel…and I need help.

I also have to tell you that we don’t have tax exempt status or non-profit status or anything like that…so we don’t’ have the ability to give out tax write-offs. However, what I can do is make sure you know where every penny you send into this ministry goes to.

I know that there are so many preachers who are frauds, but I am sincere in my heart. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need your help, and I give you my word that every penny that comes into this ministry will be spent to enhance it.

So, if you can help us out…please email me directly at christlikeministriesarkansas@yahoo.com and I will let you know what we can accept, how to help us, and please know that I thank and appreciate you in advance.

Blessings & Grace to you.