240: Dafydd Jenkins - Inspiration: What Does It Mean? (2 Tim. 3:14-17)

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to good for selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk.

2. 0:51

   For this week we’re listening to a talk that was given back at the end of 2020 to buy Brother David Jenkins from The Carter Museum. Place Ecclesia in the UK. This was given at the rugby achalasia in the same country where he is taking a look in it as a public lecture style, talk looking at inspiration and what it means and what is the significance of our belief, that the Bible isn’t the inspired word of God and Brother, David is looking into the different meanings in the impact of Add and sort of diving more into how the inspiration of God’s word would have come to be the starting reading that he used for this was taken from 2nd, Timothy chapter 3, verses 14 through 17.

3. 1:36

   So if you want to read through that before you listen to the talk, that is the section of verses that he asked before he gave it. And I really just enjoy brother. David’s, look into this. This was a suggestion that we were given and I found it to be a really powerful. Full public lecture that he gave just underlying both the importance and the confidence that we have in the scriptures that we read and how important those are for us to be able to understand that the words that we read aren’t just something that somebody made up and he also spent some time looking at almost how the active inspiration would have been perceived by the very people writing it.

4. 2:16

   So I thought that was kind of an interesting Little Nugget later on in the in the class. So I hope you find this as inspirational as I did, sorry for the pun with that. I will turn it over to Brother David Jenkins for his talk inspiration. What does it mean? So we just read a short section from Paul’s last letter on the last of his letters that we have amongst the letters that are in the pages of the New Testament, where he’s writing to Timothy a younger man. But one of his close companions in the work of teaching, the gospel around the Roman Empire and his giving advice here to this younger man as to how to conduct himself. And when the Apostle Paul is no longer around and as you’ll no doubt of clean from the few verses that we wretch that he’s putting a great emphasis on Timothy, paying attention to God’s words, he tells us that God’s word is able to make us wise for salvation.

5. 3:24

   He tells us in verse 16 that the word of God is profitable for Doctrine for teaching for reproof. Roof for correction for instruction, in righteousness, that men and women of God’s might be thoroughly equipped with everything that they need to live as God would have them live. So there’s this emphasis upon the word of God and it is useful.

6. 3:52

   It is profitable for these various different purposes and Paul says that the reason why the word of God is, Useful for these different functions is because it is given by inspiration of God. It’s directly because it is given by inspiration of God verse 16 that it has these various qualities it can perform those various functions and when Paul writes about all scripture then of course includes the part of the Bible that we know as the Old Testament.

7. 4:32

   The Jewish scriptures. But by the time that Paul is writing this last of his letters within the compass of the New Testament then the vast majority of the material that makes up our new testament parts of our Bible are available and circulated around the congregations of Believers as well. So that as far as Paul is concerned, the entirety of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. It is useful for these purposes because God has provided it by inspiration.

8. 5:07

   Now, the subject inspiration, what does it mean? I’m not going to deal with it in any kind of technical way this afternoon. So I’m just going to spend two minutes on this word inspiration and that’s about as technical As It Gets. So when we speak to one another, then we are breathing in order to live and we’re taking air in and out of our lungs. And we pass are over our vocal cords. And in that process, we are able to produce sounds whereby. We communicate with one another that we breathe out that we pass the air over our vocal cords and we use That to speak. Now the word inspiration and these new testament chapters was first written in the Greek language, the original word, translated inspiration means god breathed. So whereas we breathe in order to speak and use our breath to speak, they’re really what inspiration means. It’s that God has spoken that God has breathed and smokin and communicate it so that because Does God has spoken then the various parts of the Bible are useful for the different functions that the Apostle Paul describes. But how I’d like to address this topic, this afternoon is to look at the experience of some of those individuals who are subject to inspiration.

9. 6:47

   So those individuals that God used to produce his words and see what they say about their experience and how that can help us to understand what inspiration really means. Now, I’d like to begin with Moses. So I’m going to go back to the second book of the Bible, the book of Exodus and Exodus chapter 4, we can go to Moses because Moses is the man that God used to writes.

10. 7:22

    The first five books of the Bible as we have them in our Bibles Moses was the individual that God used to lead the children of Israel. From their slavery in the land of Egypt and through the Wilderness to the borders of the land that he had promised to their fathers, the land that we know as the land of Israel and in Exodus chapter 4 or Moses is 80 years of age and he has been living in the land of Midian for 40 years. Having run away from the land of Egypt, aged 40 and guard is interacting with Moses.

11. 8:04

    Through his Angel and telling Moses that the time has come for Moses to return to the land of Egypt and to take up the commission that God has set before him of leading the nation of Israel from their slavery and Moses is not too keen on taking up the task. In fact here in Exodus chapter 4 he’s making a sequence of excuses as to why he is not really suitable for the role that God has.

12. 8:34

    Asked him to do. So I’d like to pick up verse 10 here of Exodus chapter 4. Moses said unto the Lord, oh my Lord. I am not eloquent. Neither heretofore nor since thou Hast spoken unto thy certainty but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. So here’s one of Moses is reasons why he can’t be a suitable leader for the people of Israel.

13. 9:03

    He says, that he’s not eloquent, he’s not good at speaking. He’s not a charismatic leader, whether that’s true or not. Is questionable that we could debate that from other Bible verses but that’s the reason that Moses gives he can’t speak well so he can’t be the leader. Now look at God’s answer to that objection in verse 11. The Lord said unto him who hath made man’s mouth or who maketh the dumb or deaf or the seeing or the blind have not. I the Lord now therefore go and I I will be with thy mouth and teach thee.

14. 9:45

    What Thou shalt say. So God’s response to Moses is that he is the creator that he was responsible for creating the mouth of men and women and therefore in effect. He says to Moses look I created your mouth. So don’t tell me you can’t speak but he goes beyond that doesn’t see because there in verse He says go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.

15. 10:20

    So that God who made man’s mouth, could teach you what to say. That’s exactly what he says he will do. In the case of Moses that actually Moses his role as leader won’t be dependent on, Moses ability to speak, it would be dependent upon God’s ability. To place words in the mouth of Moses.

16. 10:46

    So that’s that’s really the starting point for our consideration of inspiration. What does it mean? Well God who made the mouse, can teach it what to say, didn’t depend on the man’s eloquence it depended on the words that God provided. Now God used Moses to communicate, a great deal of information. Should serve the nation of Israel gave them the laws that they would live their National Life.

17. 11:16

    By it gave them the details of how they should worship God in an appropriate way details. Which taught them many things about the principles by which he would extend salvation to men and women and God went into, amazing detail as to how Israel should do things in their worship of him that the center of The worship of the nation of Israel from the time of Moses was the tabernacle a tent which Israel first constructed in the wilderness. And that was filled with various items of furniture that God had described and that would be used in his worship. And God talks about setting up the tent talks about packing up the furniture talks about the different individuals, even who would carry that furniture as the nation of Israel. Moved from place to place in their journey in the wilderness. There’s a remarkable level of detail in what God provides. I’d like you to bear that in mind and come on in the pages of the Bible to 500 years or so later, to the time of King David’s.

18. 12:30

    Now those of you who were here this morning will, I hope remember that? We looked at the book of Chronicles, I’d like to go to the the same section of the book of Chronicles, but Inning at First Chronicles chapter 13. When David has become king of all the Twelve Tribes of Israel has captured the city of Jerusalem and decided that it will become the capital of his kingdom.

19. 12:57

    And he wants to take the Ark of the Covenant. The most important of the pieces of furniture that have been made in the time of Moses and bring it up to the city of Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant represents The, The Throne of God in the midst of his people. And God, what and David wanted that to be in the capital city. So that the whole of the life of Israel could be focused upon their relationship with the living gods. And in first Chronicles chapter 13 and then David is going to attempt to achieve his aim and to move the Ark of God from the place that had been for many years up to the city. Of Jerusalem.

20. 13:43

    I’ll pick it up in verse 5 of this chapter. So David gathered all Israel together from shy horror of Egypt, even unto the entering and of he math to bring the Ark of God from kerchief. Jairam verse 7, They Carried the Ark of God in a new cart out of the house of abinadab and other and Ohio drive the car at verse 9 when they came to the threshing floor of Charlie didn’t as I put forth.

21. 14:11

    His hands, a hold, the ark for The Oxen stumbled, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against us and he smote him, because he put his hands to the ark and there he died. You’d before God’s verse 12 tells us. David was afraid of God that day. Saying, how shall I bring the Ark of God’s home to me.

22. 14:36

    So, David has great intentions. He wants to bring this significant piece of Furniture up to the capital city and other one of the men who is transporting this piece of furniture on a card. Also has great intentions because the oxen of stumbled the Cartesian shaking. There is a danger perhaps that this very important item might fall from the carton be damaged and so he stretches out his hand in order to study it with the best of intentions, and the Lord is displeased with his actions. So displeased that he strikes him and that he dies. And David as we read was afraid asking the question, when how shall I bring the Ark of God home to me, to the city of Jerusalem?

23. 15:26

    Every turn over a couple of pages to chapter 15, we find out that some months later. David was successful in bringing the Ark of God up to Jerusalem. Start at the beginning of the chapter, David made him houses in the city of David and prepared a place for the Ark of God and pitched for it, a tent.

24. 15:51

    Then David said, none ought to carry the Ark of God but the Levites for them. Have the Lord chosen to carry the Ark of God and to minister unto him forever. And David gathered, all Israel together to Jerusalem to bring up the Ark of the Lord unto his place. Which he had prepared for it. And if we read on, then, with great joy and rejoicing, then David and the people are able to achieve their objective and a bring the Ark of God to set it up in the city of Jerusalem. But you see what’s happened between chapter 13 and chapter 15.

25. 16:30

    Is that David has got his Bible out? Well a series of Scrolls as the Bible would have been in the time of David and he’s got the Scrolls. First written by Moses and he’s a read through those Scrolls and he’s come to the book of numbers and the scroll for the book of numbers and he’s read what we call Numbers Chapter 4 or, and he can say none, but the Levites ought to carry the Ark of God’s.

26. 16:59

    He’s read those very detailed instructions that God gave to Israel through Moses. And now he knows the right way that God has authorized for the Ark of God. To be moved from place to place, and when he conforms to what God had written, then he meets with success. Now here’s here’s the points for our topic this afternoon, but that 500 years or so have passed between the time of Moses.

27. 17:31

    And the time of David’s between the time when those instructions were given and then the time that David is trying to move the ark but the passage of time, doesn’t matter 1 B, the word of God has not changed and the word that was authoritative in the time of Moses is Equally authoritative in the time of David’s. It’s God’s words.

28. 17:57

    It’s authoritative. It does not change. Now then David himself was used by God to write sections of the Bible, the Psalms particularly are associated with the pain of David and the ability of David with music to worship and to praise God. But there are other parts of the Bible that also contain words that God used David to write.

29. 18:29

    And I’d like to take you now, if you’re following in your Bibles to the and book of Samuel and chapter 23, because there we have a section which is described for us as the last words of King David’s that in this section, we get perhaps the fullest description of inspiration that we get anywhere in the Bible. We get a description of inspiration. We don’t get an explanation that the Bible doesn’t explain how inspiration works.

30. 19:11

    It doesn’t explain how it is. That God can use a Man, Too. Speak certain words or to write certain words and for them yet to be exactly the words that God wished to expressed. It doesn’t explain that process but David does get as close as we get to a description of what inspiration means.

31. 19:36

    Second Samuel chapter 23. Now these be the last words of David’s David, the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the god of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel, seds, they might say, David has been a bit repetitive there. Don’t you think, did you miss the point that David wrote these words.

32. 20:02

    These are the last words of David David, the son of Jesse said the anointed of the god of Israel. And the sweet psalmist of Israel set. Well, three times. David has said, these are my words. But look how he continues in verse 2, the spirit of the Lord spake by me. And his word was in my tongue. The god of Israel said, the rock of Israel speak to me and then he goes on with the message.

33. 20:33

    He, that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. So is he in verse 1? David says, three times these are David’s words. These are my words, But then in verse 2 in the beginning of verse 3, then 3 or 4 times. He says well actually these are God’s words.

34. 20:53

    And that’s inspiration that the words that were expressed by a man could at one and the same time be the words of God’s. Exactly the words that God intended should be expressed. And it’s not just restricted to words. I’m going to go now to the first book of Chronicles again, and this time to chapter 28, what I’ve David’s, great Ambitions was to build a temple of for the Lord, in the city of Jerusalem to where he had moved the ark and God prevented him from undertaking that task but said that in Instead, it should be performed by his son Solomon, but David not put off made extensive preparation for the building of a temple for God, that would be carried out after his death.

35. 22:00

    And in first Chronicles chapter, 28, we have some of the preparations that David made of for the construction of that Temple. Verse 11 of First Chronicles 28.

36. 22:16

    Then David gave to Solomon, his son, the pattern of the porch and at the houses thereof and of the treasury’s thereof and of the upper chambers thereof and of the inner parlors thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat. And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit of the Courts of the house of the Lord, and have all the chambers around about of the treasuries of the house of God and of, the treasuries of the dedicated things and come down to verse 9, 18. All this said, David the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me all the works of this pattern. You see what David is saying.

37. 23:01

    You saying here are the architectural drawings. Here are the plans which I’m going to give to my son. Solomon to allow this Temple to be constructed and these aren’t my plans, but as I drew the lines on the paper that God’s hand was upon me so that they should exactly conform to the pattern that God determines Now, David is a great man described in the Bible as the man after God’s Own Hearts, but even David with his wonderful insight into the things of God was not sufficient to draw those plans. According to his own ideas that for a place, a temple, a house where God should be worshipped, it was necessary that they should be exactly right to express. Is the ideas that were appropriate for the worship of God from God’s perspective?

38. 24:05

    And not from the perspective of a man. However, great that man might be, so that God didn’t leave it to chance. He didn’t leave it to the ability of David’s. But, you know, David’s a great man. I’m sure he’ll get something approximately right, that that wasn’t sufficient. That God guided, David’s Hands. So the plan would be exactly what was appropriate for a house for God to be worshipped.

39. 24:37

    That the things that God provided the ideas that God expressed were not in any way, limited by the capacity of the individual that he used. It wasn’t limited by David’s understanding or David’s insights that. God, could overrule that go over and beyond that to ensure that they were exactly right as God’s intended.

40. 25:06

    It in the New Testament. Then Peter has something to say about that. The Apostle Peter in the letters that he wrote switch, we find towards the end of the pages of the New Testaments. Let’s go to the first letter of Peter. First of all, and chapter one.

41. 25:29

    Peter is writing about the salvation that God has made available to men and women through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In First, Peter chapter 1 in verse 10. He says of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace. That should come unto you searching. What or what manner of time the spirit Of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow and to whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did Minister the things which are now reported unto you buy them that have preached the gospel unto you. So here’s Peter confirming.

42. 26:25

    That God was not limited by the understanding or the time. As or the circumstances, or anything else that related to the men that he used the profits that he used to rights the different books of the Old Testament. It is saying in fact that because God controlled the output of those individuals that they studied their own writings, they searched diligently the things that they had recorded.

43. 26:55

    So they might understand more fully the things that God had. Waited through them concerning the work of the Christ, his son that they weren’t limited by their knowledge. They could improve their understanding by studying their own words and beyond that because God was in control of the process because God’s inspiration was controlling the output that the prophets put down that the things that they wrote are of even greater A benefit to those who live and seek these things. After the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, there have greater benefit to people who lived long after the time that the prophets who wrote them lifts that as Peter said there in verse 12 that they ministered to us, that they ministered to individuals in later times who could get the full benefit of the prophets message because they had the blessing of being after the time.

44. 27:59

    The Lord Jesus Christ and therefore could understand fully how God achieved salvation through the life of the death and the resurrection of his son. That’s because God is in control, that? Yeah let’s choose a prophet Isaiah, say writing 700 BC, could write something that Peter and the first century and ourselves in the 21st century can benefit from even more more than Isaiah and his contemporaries could benefit from even though they could benefit greatly because it wasn’t limited by Isaiah’s times, it wasn’t limited by Isaiah’s understanding, it was not limited because it was God’s words that he provided to Isaiah. Now we come over to the second letter of Peter, just going on a few pages, further it in the New Testaments, then When Peter makes a another comments about this. He’s talking about the difference evidences that ashore followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ, that the things that they believe and the things that they have learned are true. And one of the things that he is talking about in, this chapter, is his own experience.

45. 29:30

    And the things that he could witness to that, he had seen personally during his time with Jesus Christ in the days of the ministry of Jesus. But having spoken of his own personal witness to the things that he could sing. He says this in verse 19, second Peter, chapter 1 and verse 19.

46. 29:53

    He says we have also a more sure word of Prophecy whereunto. You do well that you take heed as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day Dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts knowing this. First, that no Prophecy of the scripture. 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.

47. 30:18

    As they were moved by The Holy Spirits. So Peter is saying, you’ve not only got the eyewitness testimony that I can give to you, but there’s an even better witness which is the witness of Prophecy. The witness of the words written by God’s prophets which gives light it. Gives education it illuminates, like a light in a dark place because it’s not given by man.

48. 30:45

    It’s not private in any way but it comes from God’s and then he made that comment in verse 21 because the prophecy came not in Old Time by the will of man, it wasn’t of man’s volition that these things were written but holy men of God, spake. As they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

49. 31:11

    I’ve already commented that these new testament words were first written in the Greek language. And when the Peter says that, holy men of God, spake, as they were moved, he uses a word which conveys quite a strong idea that there’s a record in the Acts of the Apostles. When the Apostle Paul has been taken to the city of Rome to stand trial. And during the course of that Journey, he is Shipwrecked along the way.

50. 31:41

    As the ship in which he is, traveling is caught up in a mighty storm and the record tells us that because of the force of the wind and then the sailors had no opportunity to steer the ship that. If they try to steer the ship different to the way in which the wind was blowing, that the force of the wind was so great that it would up of uprooted the masks and wrecked the ship earlier than it did.

51. 32:09

    Otherwise, So the only option that the sailors had was to run with the winds. The force was so great that the ship just had to run before the force of the wind. It was compelled Along by the ferocity of the Gale. And the word that’s used in The Acts of the Apostles to describe the ship being compelled to go in a certain direction by the force of the storm. Is the word that Peter uses here. For holy men of God.

52. 32:41

    Being moved by the Holy Spirit. They were compelled. They were forced Along by the Holy Spirit. It wasn’t down to their will, it wasn’t out of their choice? It was what God requires that. Once expressed. Now, I can illustrate that for you, going back to the Old Testament and actually to the time of Moses, and going to the Book of Numbers. This time, if you’re following, let’s go to Numbers chapter, 22 and Numbers, Chapter 23, bit.

53. 33:20

    Because I suppose that this phenomena of inspiration there, varies from Individual to individual, but that on the one extreme, you might have a man like, David’s of a deeply spiritual character with tremendous insight into the word of God, who could express the Praises that came to his mind and the understanding that he had and perhaps with, only a small amount of change through the operation of God’s Spirits became exactly what God Quiets On The Other Extreme you might have a rare case where God uses a man who is not inclined at all to the things of God and who God overalls completely in every way to ensure words that God requires to be spoken are spoken and such a case is the prophet Balaam who we read about in The Book of Numbers chapters 22 and 23 here.

54. 34:26

    Balaam is presented to us as a false prophets, a man who has a knowledge of the living Gods, but instead of using that knowledge to worship God and to seek more, clearly into the things of his truth, uses the knowledge that he has to enrich himself and to manipulate others. And in this section of the Book of Numbers, the nation of Israel, making their Journey Holds the land of Israel are camped in the plains of Moab and the king of that area is rather concerned by the presence of this large body of people on the borders of his lamps. He’s worried that if there is conflict between them, that his kingdom will be taken from him and he’s heard of the reputation of this false prophet Baylin.

55. 35:21

    So he wants Balaam to come and curse. The people of Israel. And he’s prepared to pay handsomely for Balaam to do that and there’s nothing that Balaam wants more than to take the money that’s on offer. He wants to fulfill the commission that the King has given him. He wants to take the opportunity to curse these people and to receive a bountiful rewards.

56. 35:53

    But before he travels, he’s warned about the situation by an You love God’s Numbers, chapter 22, and verse 35. The angel of the Lord said unto Balaam go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of balak. They lack is the Kink of the area.

57. 36:24

    So the angel said to Balaam only the words that the angel allowed should Balaam speak we come into Where we can come down to verse 38. When Balaam meets the king. Balaam said unto Baal a khlo. I am come unto thee. Have I now any power at all to say anything, the word that God puts in my mouth, that shall I speak?

58. 36:52

    So he confesses that his own will has nothing to do with the words that he speaks. And when we come into the next chapter, then we find Balaam trying to Curse the nation of Israel in order to receive the rewards and every time he opens his mouth to curse then instead blessings come out and we have a slime, a ridiculous situation really where where the king is saying to me, well, you know, I want you to curse and you’re speaking blessings. Well, maybe if you come behind the hill that you can’t even see these people, you’ll be able to curse them. So, he goes behind the hill and he and he tries to Curse. So that every time he tries to curse then instead blessings come out verse 5 of chapter 23, the Lord put a word in balaam’s math and said return and to balak and thus Thou shalt speak that the word the laws rather controlled, the tongue of Balaam to enforce that the words that the almighty required to be spoken.

59. 38:06

    Were the words that he spoke the king gets very frustrated. If we come down to verse 11 of chapter 23, balak said unto Balaam, what hast thou done unto me. I took me to curse, mine enemies and thou Hast blessed them all together. And Balaam said answered and said, most do not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth. So they’re gone in absolute control. What they l’m sets Amanda.

60. 38:36

    Desperate to curse. But only able to speak blessings compelled to bless by the will of gods that overrules, the will of the man. God’s words is not dependent on or changeable by man in any way. That’s what the experience of Balaam and the other prophets is telling us.

61. 39:12

    Go back to the New Testament for our final few references. We started with the Apostle, Paul and the Apostle. Paul also comments about the inspiration, that’s underpinned his teaching take you. If you’re following to the first letter that he wrote to the Corinthians to the communities of Believers, in the city of Corinth where he speaks about.

62. 39:42

    The character and the quality of the inspiration of God as it operates it in the teaching of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. First of the Corinthians and death 2:12. now we says speaking initially about himself and the other Apostles we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit, which is of god, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God’s which things also, we speak not in The Words, which man’s Wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teaches comparing spiritual things with Spiritual.

63. 40:33

    That’s Paul, you know, this isn’t education. This isn’t cleverness. This isn’t the ability of these teachers that God is using. This is God’s activity that through the Holy Spirit. He has taught them, the things they are to express. I don’t know if you know anything about the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul was a brilliant man. Before he became a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was one of the great up-and-coming talents of the Jewish establishments.

64. 41:11

    He had the best education in the things of the Jewish, understanding of the word of God, and the Old Testament scriptures, that it was possible to have. He had a Brilliant Minds, a lawyer’s mind to argue with logic. Is it it’s got nothing to do with my education. It’s got nothing to do with how clever I am. It’s got nothing to do with the different abilities that I might have.

65. 41:36

    And that somebody else might not got nothing to do with my ability, but it’s down to The Words, which God teaches through the operation of his holy spirit, or even a brilliant scholar, like Paul would admits that. It’s not his learning, not his understanding, not his ability. But utterly controls by God’s. Now, the outworking of that in an illustration comes towards the end of this first letter to the Corinthians. If I can take you now to Chapter 14, verse Corinthians, chapter 14 and verse 37 towards the end of the chapter there. One of the things that we learn when we read through the first letter that Paul wrote to the Believers at Corinth, was that he had opponents, that there were other men who went to those communities of Believers and try to teach them something a little different, to the teaching of the Apostle Paul, and in order to try and get others to accept their point of view, who chose to try and belittle and undermine the Apostle Paul, Paul, and that’s been happening.

66. 42:54

    And that’s the background to what Paul has to say here. So, in verse 37 of First Corinthians 14, he says If any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto, you are the Commandments of the law. It’s so with one eye on his opponents, were trying to undermine him.

67. 43:17

    So, look, this is the situation. If anyone comes here and they set themselves up to be a prophet to speak for God, or a spiritual person who can give guidance to the Believers, let them first. Acknowledge that Paul’s Words, the things that he has written to the Believers in Corinth are the Commandments of the Lord Jesus.

68. 43:43

    Because they weren’t Paul’s words. At all, they didn’t depend on Paul. They were the words that Paul had been taught by the holy spirit’s. They were the Commandments of the Lord’s. Their Authority came, not from Paul and then he personal Authority, he might have, but from God’s entirely. And you know that even applied to the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the son of Gods, the greatest of men. Finally let’s go to John chapter 8 and see the Lord Jesus Christ. Speaking about his own experience. In John’s gospel, Jesus is often found in discussion and argument.

69. 44:35

    We might say, with the leaders of the Jewish Nation, their religious teachers and authority, and he’s in that situation here in John chapter 8, John chapter 8, and verse 26.

70. 44:53

    Jesus speaking, he says, I have many things to say and to judge of you, but he that sent me is true and I speak to the world, those things which I have heard of him They understood not that, he spake to them of the father, then said Jesus unto them when he have lifted up the son of man, then shall you know that I am he and that I do nothing of myself.

71. 45:20

    But as my father, hath taught me. I speak these things and he that sent me is with me. The father hath not left me alone for I do, always those things that please him as he spake. These words, many believed on him, but that you see here is Jesus. Launched himself. Here is the Son of God, saying the teaching that I’m giving you has Authority. Not because of any personal Authority that I might have, but no because I’m teaching verse 26, the things which I have heard of God’s, the things, which I have heard of him, or in verse 28, I do nothing of myself, but as my father, hath taught me.

72. 46:03

    I speak these things that the teaching of the Lord, Lord, Jesus Christ was authoritative. Because he had received it of his father that God’s word in no way. Rests upon the Authority or the ability of man. But God has insured’s that the original words that were expressed are the words that he wanted to be set down exactly as he intended. So in thinking about this topic of inspiration, this afternoon and seeing just a few examples of those who were subject to it and experienced its that then we can draw out several key. Is that the Bible puts to us but that Gods who made the mouth could teach you what to say that, God would control the process that they’re God’s word, does not change the passage of time, doesn’t alter its its authoritative. That God’s word is not limited in any way, by the understanding, or the time, or the circumstances of Those whom he used to produce it.

73. 47:24

    But God’s word is not dependent or changeable by man. So inspiration. What does it mean? Well, let me tell you what it means in Practical to inspiration means that the Bible that we are privileged to read is God’s words. And because it is God’s words, we cannot afford to ignore it. Thank you for listening to the good christadelphians talks podcast.

74. 48:14

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75. 48:33

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76. 48:56

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