Page 39 - Fundamentals 7 ebook 1-16-19_Neat

Words are for communication. John 1:1 says that He is the
Word and John 1:18 says that God has explained Him. I want
to start very simply with what is a word? It’s a sound that has
a meaning and you can’t understand it apart from its context. I
can think a word in my mind but you won’t know what I’m
thinking. You might say, “I can tell by the look on your face;
you are surprised or you are angry or you are discouraged or
you are sad or you are happy or you are hungry.” But unless I
speak a word, you don’t know what I’m thinking. Sometimes
one word is not enough. Sometimes you need a sentence.
Sometimes you need a paragraph.

We have an expression, “In other words.” So, when Lillian
wants me to really know what she is saying, she will give me
her command and then she’ll say, “In other words,” and she’ll
restate the same command. Sometimes when the house is on
fire and someone says, “Jump!” you understand one word. If a
missile is flying toward your head and someone says, “Duck!”
you understand one word.

I used to golf but I don’t anymore. I hit a lady in the head with
a golf ball and she sued me and I yelled one word, “Fore!” She
didn’t duck. It’s her fault! It was a good shot. It went over the
pin, over the fence and into the parking lot where she was
putting groceries in her car. So, that was a good shot!

One word sometimes can communicate an idea but let’s say the
word is “person”. I am thinking of a person. Who am I thinking
of? You don’t know if it’s a girl, a boy, a child or an athlete or
a political person or a character in the Bible. You need more
words. You’ll say, “I need more than ‘person’.” “I’m thinking
of an animal. What is it?” You don’t know. One word is not
enough. “I’m thinking of a plant. I’m thinking of a food.” You
might say, “That’s not enough. I need more words.” What if
the word is bigger, like “planet”. And I say, “Tell me
everything about a planet.” You would say, “Which one?”