Message 15 - 1thessalonians Chapter 5:20-21 – Do Not Despise Prophecies But Test Everything Series

MESSAGE 15 - 1THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 5:20-21 – DO NOT DESPISE PROPHECIES BUT TEST EVERYTHING

{{1Thessalonians 5 v 20-21: “Do not despise prophetic utterances, but examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good.” (NASB)

[A]. INTRODUCTION:

Verse 20 is another very small verse, and combines with verse 21 so we will consider them together. The different versions have translated the verses as –

(KJV) “Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good.”

(NIV) “Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all. Hold on to what is good.”

(ESV) “Do not despise prophecies but test everything. Hold fast what is good.”

(Holman) “Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good.”

(NASB) “Do not despise prophetic utterances, but examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good.”

All versions use “despise”; and “prophecy, or prophetic utterances or prophesyings” in verse 20. Verse 20 is “prove”, “test”, or “examine”. The end of verse 21 is either “hold on to” or hold fast”. The despondency of the Thessalonians over losing loved ones may have led them not only to quench the fervour of the Holy Spirit, but to neglect the positive prophets who preached to them, and that, in turn, had a flow-on effect of quenching the Spirit by degrees in the prophets also.

Others suppose that the Thessalonians had had experience of persons who had abused the gift of prophecy, and therefore were disposed to suspect and dislike prophecy altogether. This view gains support from {{2 Thessalonians 2:2, “that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”}}, and also from the command in 1 Thessalonians 5 v 21 to test, and retain only what stood the test.

Someone said, [[“Some church people neglect attending the ministry of God’s word, on pretence that they are so well instructed that they can receive little or no benefit from it, but let such realise that the spiritual life is maintained and increased in the soul, not so much by receiving new discoveries in divine knowledge, as by the recollection of matters formerly known, and by serious meditation thereon.”]] Don’t forget also the Holy Spirit can open new insights for you as well from scripture.

[B]. EXAMINATION:

To understand these 2 verses, we need to look carefully at these words that are used. First of all, “DESPISE”:-

(1). Despise = to despise, to treat with contempt; to consider something as lacking any value.

(2). “Prophecy” = Strong’s Concordance definition is this – “prophecy, prophesying = the gift of communicating and enforcing revealed truth.”. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon describes prophecy as “discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events. Used in the New Testament - of the utterances of the Old Testament prophets: Matthew 13:14; 2 Peter 1:20, 21. Thayer says of 1 Thessalonians 5:20; - “specifically, of the action of foretelling or prophesying future events of those achievements which one was set apart to teach the gospel and work for the kingdom of Christ.”

[C]. WHAT IS PROPHECY?

Let us look at this passage – {{1Corinthians 14:1 “Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 1Cor 14:2 One who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries, 1Cor 14:3 BUT ONE WHO PROPHESIES SPEAKS TO MEN FOR EDIFICATION, AND EXHORTATION, AND CONSOLATION. 1Cor 14:4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself but one who prophesies edifies the church.”}}

In this Corinthian church where the gift of tongues to the apostolic church was abused, Paul is very clear that the gift of prophecy was the gift to be desired. The first verse (14:1) demands that love be pursued, and prophecy be desired. In the Christian church today people are trying to put emphasis on the spectacular, even urging themselves to get to the state of ecstasy – this is what you see in tongues and other more fanciful behaviour. However what does this passage tell us? The clause, “but especially that you may prophesy” sets the importance of this gift over others. Paul says the Corinthians are to desire this gift. Let us judge a church, not by the babble of tongues heard, but by the standard of prophecy among them. This is the guideline Paul is setting out here.

We may well contemplate “What do we understand by prophecy?” for this is another gift misunderstood by the modern church. I was in a meeting once where someone said to the church which supported the fascination of perceived gifts, that he had a prophecy from the Lord, and he then spoke that prophecy to the church. In essence it said, “There is a person here tonight who has a back problem and the Lord will heal him.” Now without analysing that any further, I will say one thing. That is not prophecy. It is playing around with New Testament words without knowing what they mean. Beside all that, the revelation of future prophecy finished with the completion of scripture, when all God’s revealed purposes had been finalised for this church age. Prophecy always related to the ongoing purposes of God, not a person’s back problems.