Order of Service

Isaiah 5:20

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Introduction

I am sure you have heard the phrase, “Don’t get it twisted.” In the last few years, it has become a cliché’. It alludes to a cable or water hose which always gets twisted and has to be untangled before the next use. It is easily twisted, but difficult to untangle. Most of us know how tangled up our computer or TV cables can become. Figuratively, it refers to someone taking several facts and drawing a false conclusion.  As you know, we combine facts to create new facts.  It is the basic of Aristotelian logic. It can get really complicated, but it can also be as simple as adding two plus two. When we add two plus two, the answer, four, which is the results or sum, is the new fact. Of course, it is not new now because we already know what the answer is.

The Greeks following Aristotle teaching were very concerned about drawing the correct conclusion. They invented the syllogism, which has a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.  Here is a simple, perhaps comical example – they can also get very complicated:  “All cows eat grass. Betsy is a cow. Therefore, Betsy eats grass.”    

It is amazing how our foreparents, without studying Aristotle, came up with the correct conclusions about so many of their very complicated life issues. In my amazement, I must also remember that the ancient Greeks appropriated many of their ideas and concepts from Africa.  Our foreparents had practical logic, which we call common sense. Some say common sense is not common any more.

I am also amazed at the many blatantly illogical statements that are accepted today as the “gospel truth.” Incidents can occur, and two different groups of people will come up with totally different conclusions about the truth or falsehood of the matter.  The conclusions are polar opposites. One of the conclusions is not correct – it can’t be! I am not referring to opinions, but about the factuality of the series of events.   

Taking facts and drawing a false or inaccurate conclusion is nothing new. It happened in Isaiah’s day, and as a true prophet, he spoke against it. Prophets were predictors, but their major role was to speak against the evils of the day. True prophets were more “forth-tellers” than “fore-tellers.” Every preacher is prophetic at some time in his or her ministry, but not all preachers are prophets. Some preachers are evangelists, pastors, and teachers. With that being said, I ask, “Where are the prophets of today?” “Are they afraid to call out evil?” “When will they call a spade a spade?”

There are many great things in our technological, media-driven society. I would not want to go back to a world without the internet, cellphones, and search engines. In fact, I am learning the rudiments of the AI program, ChatGPT. However, there are some things that we must keep a collective eye on and make sure they are servants and not masters.  Our society gives us quick sound bites that ignore the full content and context of communications. Anybody can put anything on social media without being vetted or without peer review. Our society now calls good evil and evil good. Our society now calls light darkness and darkness light. Sometimes, evil camouflages itself in nice phrases such as “working the system,” “trying to get ahead,” or “everybody else is doing it.” It can also camouflage itself by even labeling itself as Christian, spiritual, cultured, educated, ethnic, or patriotic. This makes it harder to keep these labels authentic and fully respected.

All of this is an attempt to destroy God’s standards of right and wrong, of good and evil, by substituting human values that contradict His moral standards. Without the divine standards of God, a good thing can be reinterpreted as something evil, while an evil thing can be twisted into something that actually appears to be good. Without an absolute standard of divine goodness and justice, false human reasoning and uncontrolled selfishness can rationalize any evil perpetrated, particularly if the primary criterion is “Will it benefit me?”  Treat new ideas just as if a wise person were buying a used car. You look under the hood, kick the tires, take it for a test drive, and let a certified mechanic check it out. “How shall we go forward?” The answer is really critical as students began a new school year.

Exposition

1. We Must Realize The Clear Distinction Between Good And Evil.

(Satan Loves To Blur The Lines.)

(We Must Know What Good Looks Like.)

(We Must Also Know What Evil Looks Like.)

(The Ten Commandments & The Beatitudes Are The Initial Standards.)

(Jesus Condensed It: Love God & Love You Neighbor.)

(The Particulars May Change, But The Principles Do Not.)

(The Question: How Can Love Be Best Served At This Time?)

2.  We Must Have A Godly, Biblical Value System.

(We Must Value The Worship Of God.)

(We Must Value Church Membership.)

(We Must Value Bible Study.)

(We Must Value Academic Study.)

(We Must Value Hard Work.)

(We Must Value Prayer.)

(We Must Value Self-Respect And Respect For Others.)

3. We Must Value Our Personal Uniqueness As A Good Thing.

(Your Uniqueness Is Sweet - Not Bitter.)

(Be Yourself, But Be Your Best Self.)

(Remember Philippians 4:13.)

Closing Statements

Never compare your blessings with the blessings of others and see your blessings as a bitter thing. Psychologists call that attitude “relative deprivation.” I like to think that no matter the situation, things could be worse, and there is someone worse off than me. I call that attitude “relative appreciation.”

Don’t get it twisted; don’t render evil for evil. Don’t get it twisted; God is still in the blessing business. Don’t get it twisted; when the praises go up, the blessings come down. Don’t get it twisted; He’s coming back again. Give God Glory! Give God All The Glory!

End Notes

1. In regards to knowing evil when you see it, I’m reminded of an Advance Conversational German Class I took at Morehouse. At the end of the course, Dr. Akselrad said, “If you are going to be really knowledgeable of the language, you must be aware of the negative words and phrases. I don’t expect you to use them, but you must recognize them when you hear them and know that they are vulgar, obscene, risque’, indecent, or profane.” She gave us all of the cuss words, the racial slurs, the vulgar words to describe body parts, derogatory words for men and women, and much more.  She was making sure we knew evil when we heard it. One student jokingly said she should have given us that information on the first day so we could have practiced cussing in German.  We live in a world now where a lot of people don’t know evil when they see or hear it.    

2. The phrase “call a spade a spade” goes back to the one-drop rule. If a person had one drop of Black blood or any ancestor of African descent, no matter how far removed, they were considered Black. It did not matter how light their complexion was. It had further implications. No matter how efficient a Black worker was, he or she could only go so high in the hierarchy.  “I know he is qualified to be the plant manager, but he’s Black. So, we won’t promote him. Let’s call a spade a spade.”  Now the phrase means to tell it like it is or to address a difficult issue.

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